Learning to Live Again
by Ammie Hawk
Summary: After the dementor attack in Little Whinging, Petunia Dursley decides to send Harry to his father's long lost family. Naruto/HP crossover
1. Chapter 1

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from Naruto or Harry Potter. Just having fun.

Summary: After the dementor attack in Little Whinging, Petunia Dursley decides to send Harry to his father's long lost family. Naruto/HP crossover

Chapter 1: The Plan

Aunt Petunia's hand was trembling. She looked wildly around the kitchen as though looking for an escape route, but too late—the envelope burst into flames. Aunt Petunia screamed and dropped it.

An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table.

" _REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA."_

Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smoldered into ash in the silence.

"What is this?" Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. "What—I don't—Petunia?"

Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open. The silence spiraled horribly. Harry was watching his aunt, utterly bewildered, his head throbbing fit to burst.

"Petunia, dear?" said Uncle Vernon timidly. "P-Petunia?"

She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed.

"The boy—the boy will have to stay, Vernon," she said weakly.

"W-what?"

"He stays," she said. She was not looking at Harry. She got to her feet again.

"He… but Petunia…"

"If we throw him out, the neighbors will talk," she said. She was regaining her usual brisk, snappish manner rapidly, though she was still very pale. "They'll ask awkward questions, they'll want to know where he's gone. We'll have to keep him."

Uncle Vernon was deflating like an old tire.

"But Petunia, dear—"

Aunt Petunia ignored him. She turned to Harry.

"You're to stay in your room," she said. "You're not to leave the house. Now go to bed."

Harry didn't move.

"Who was that Howler from?"

"Don't ask questions," Aunt Petunia snapped.

"Are you in touch with wizards?"

"I told you to get to bed!"

"What did it mean? Remember the last what?"

"Go to bed!"

"How come—?"

"YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GET TO BED!"

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As soon as her nephew disappeared up the stairs, Petunia Dursley helped her son to his feet and guided him up to his bedroom. Once he was settled in with a movie, she made her way further down the hall to the door to the attic. She slipped silently inside and made her way carefully to the back.

With a sigh, she knelt down beside an old trunk, Lily's school trunk, and opened the lid. This trunk contained everything that had been salvaged from her sister's home after the attack. She shook her head, now was not the time for a trip down memory lane. She reached into the depths of the trunk and pulled out a small scroll.

Her prize in hand, she made her way back downstairs to speak with her husband.

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 _I've just been attacked by dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here._

Harry copied these words onto three separate pieces of parchment the moment he reached the desk in his dark bedroom. He addressed the first to Sirius, the second to Ron, and the third to Hermione. His owl, Hedwig, was off hunting, her cage stood empty on the desk. Harry paced the bedroom waiting for her to come back, his head pounding, his brain too busy for sleep even though his eyes stung and itched with tiredness. His back ached from carrying Dudley home, and the two lumps on his head where the window and Dudley had hit him were throbbing painfully.

Up and down he paced, consumed with anger and frustration, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, casting angry looks out at the empty, star-strewn sky every time he passed the window. Dementors sent to get him, Mrs. Figg and tailing him in secret, then suspension from Hogwarts and a hearing at the Ministry of Magic-and _still_ no one was telling him what was going on.

And what, _what_ had that Howler been about? Whose voice had echoed so horribly, so menacingly, through the kitchen?

Why was he still trapped here without information? Why was everyone treating him like some naughty kid? _Don't do any more magic, stay in the house…._

He kicked his school trunk as he passed it, but far from relieving his anger he felt worse, as he now had a sharp pain in his toe to deal with in addition to the pain in the rest of his body.

Just as he limped past the window, two things happened: Hedwig soared through it with a soft rustle of wings like a small ghost, and someone knocked quietly on his door. Choosing to deal with the more immediate problem first, he whirled to face the door just as his aunt pushed it open. They studied each other for a moment, before Petunia closed the portal behind her.

"Have a seat," she motioned to the bed. "And don't bother sending any letters. Things are going to change, right now."

"Why?" he asked angrily.

"Not right now," she pursed her lips at the question. "I'll explain everything in a bit. Vernon and I have talked, and we have decided it is time for you to leave our house."

"But… but downstairs, the-the Howler?"

"We're not kicking you out," she held up her hand to forestall him. "We've discussed it and if what you say is true, and Voldemort is back, we cannot protect you. So we're sending you to someone who can."

"Who?" Harry asked, confused. "Everyone from my world said I need to stay here."

"It's not a wizard," she looked like she swallowed a lemon just saying the word. "He's actually your uncle, on your father's side."

"I don't have an uncle," he jumped to his feet, almost instantly regretting the action but discarding it in his anger. "If there had been someone else, you would've sent me there to begin with. You've said almost every day for the past fourteen years that you didn't want me here."

"That's not true," she sighed. "But we're getting off track. We'll talk more about that in the car. Right now, we need to contact your uncle and figure out the best way to get you to him. To do that, I need some of your blood."

"What?!" he backed away incredulously.

"Just a drop," she soothed, holding out a sewing needle. "I just need you to place a drop on this scroll."

"And that's going to call my uncle?" he eyed the proffered items skeptically.

"You go to a school where you are taught magic," she gave him a look, "and it is hard for you to believe that your blood will summon your uncle?"

"Well, when you put it that way," he snatched the objects out of her hand and pricked his thumb and let a drop of blood fall on the scroll.

A moment later, a cloud of smoke engulfed his hand where the scroll was. He felt something heavy hit his palm, but it was too much for one hand and whatever it was fell to the floor with a faint fwump.

"Yo," a voice said from the floor.

Two sets of eyes swiveled to the source of the voice. There, sitting innocently in the middle of the scroll, was a small brown dog in a blue vest and headband. Green eyes turned incredulously back to his aunt.

"Are you telling me my uncle is a dog?"

"Look, kid, I ain't got no nephews," the dog answered, "and I'm just the messenger."

"Are you saying you work for Mr. Hatake?" she asked, not seeming the least bit affected by the fact that the dog was actually talking.

"It's a bit more involved than that, but sure," the dog shrugged. "So I take it you got a message for him?"

"Let him know that if he wants him, I'll bring him his nephew," she squared her shoulders, her resolve strengthening.

"Right," the dog nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

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Kakashi Hatake lounged on the couch of the apartment he now shared with his boyfriend of six months. He had actually just convinced the younger Chunin to move in earlier that week. So he sat, pretending to read his book while surreptitiously watching the other man move about the room, making adjustments and adding things here and there.

The younger man was just moving past the couch on his way to the kitchen, when quick as lightning the Copy Ninja reached out and grabbed the other around the waist and pulled him down onto his lap.

"Kakashi!" his boyfriend squeaked at the sudden assault.

"Come on, Iruka," the silver haired Jonin nuzzled the other man's neck. "You have all the time in the world to unpack. Take a break."

"And you have all the time in the world to be a pervert," Iruka struggled half heartedly to get up. "Now, let me get back to what I was doing."

"Mmm, no," Kakashi lowered his mask and claimed the other's lips in a languid kiss.

His hand caressed the brunet's stomach, while still holding him in place. He had just gotten the other to relax, and had managed to slip his hand down the front of his pants, when they were interrupted by a small cloud of smoke that appeared in the middle of the floor.

"What do you want?" he asked as his hand finally wrapped around his prize.

"Kakashi!" Iruka's voice was breathless but firm as he carefully removed his boyfriend's hand from his pants.

With a groan of frustration, the Jonin turned to the summon, "This had better be good, Pakkun."

"I have a message," the little pug seemed unperturbed that he just interrupted his master. "If you want him, she'll bring your nephew."

"She's finally willing to give him up?" he stood up so quickly that Iruka ended up in a heap on the floor. "When? Where? Name it and I'll be there."

"Kakashi?" Iruka Umino picked himself up off the floor as the small dog disappeared the same way it had come. "What's going on? What was that about?"

"I'm sorry, Iruka," the silver haired Jonin sighed. "I know you just moved in, but I'm going to have to move. There's just not enough room here to add a kid."

"Kakashi?" the brunet took a step forward, but his boyfriend didn't seem to notice.

"I've got the house still," Kakashi continued. "I haven't been there since Jirou died. It should take at least a couple days before they get here. That should give me enough time to air it out at least. And if I enlist some help, I can definitely have everything moved."

"Kakashi!" Iruka put his hands on either side of his lover's face, forcing him to make eye contact. "Talk to me. What is this about? Who's coming?"

The taller man took a deep breath to calm down, "My nephew is finally coming home. Years ago, my brother, Jirou, went on a long term intelligence gathering mission, while he was there he fell in love and got married. They had a son together. However, they were both killed. Their son was supposed to come live with me, but when I went to collect him, his mother's sister pleaded with me to let him stay with her. At the time, I felt I was too young to take on a baby, and she already had one, so I decided he could stay with her, but I did leave a summoning scroll and instructions on how to reach me if she ever decided she wanted me to take him. And apparently, she now wants me to take him. I can't say no, he's the only family I've got left."

"Okay," the Chunin shook his head, there was obviously quite a bit about the other man he still didn't know. "Let's go find some people to help us move. If we find enough help, we'll be able to be done by nightfall."

"I can't ask you to do that, Iruka," Kakashi sighed.

"Ask me to do what, exactly?" brown eyes flashed in warning, though the other seemed to miss it.

"I can't ask you to raise a kid with me," the Jonin rubbed the back of his neck. "We haven't been going out that long. I don't know if we're ready for that."

"Kakashi Hatake, how dare you!" Iruka snapped. "You asked me to be your boyfriend. You asked me to move in with you. Was that all just a joke to you? Because it wasn't to me. I did not go into this relationship halfheartedly or without thought. I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes, I do, but…"

"There are no buts here, Kakashi," the brunet shook his head. "Either you do or you don't. You do, fine, we're in this, you and me against the world. You don't, I walk right now, and I don't want you to talk to me ever again."

"Fine," Kakashi chuckled, he had always found the other's fire addictive. "If you're sure, let's do this."

"Good," Iruka nodded. "Glad to see you're not a flake. Now, we're going to split up and each of us are going to go see who we can find to help us move."

* * *

Ammie: I know, I know, I really shouldn't have started a new fic... but I couldn't help it. The Naruto crew came and bit me on the ass. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Once more, with feeling…

AN: Okay, here's the weekly update. Hope this answers some questions that have been brewing in your minds, otherwise, you'll have to wait and see. Anyway, on with the show.

Chapter 2: The Truth

It didn't take long for the dog to return with the message that Harry's uncle was willing to take him in. Petunia nodded and, after giving the time and location to the messenger, turned to her nephew.

"Gather your things," she said briskly. "Only what you can carry, I'll send the rest later. I don't want to draw too much attention to the fact that you're leaving. I knew he wouldn't refuse so I've already booked us a flight."

"What about the guard?" Harry asked, moving to comply with her orders.

"What guard?" she frowned.

"The wizard guard that's supposed to be stationed outside," the teen shook his head. "That bang earlier was my guard leaving. There's probably a new one now, if not more."

"Maybe I can get Vernon or Dudley to carry you out in a blanket," she pursed her lips in thought. "That way they won't know it's you."

"Wait," he opened his trunk and pulled a few things out, including a long silvery cloak. "I've got this. It's an Invisibility Cloak. It belonged to my dad. And as long as I use the same door you do, no one will know."

"Good," she nodded. "Finish packing. I have a few things to get myself. We'll meet downstairs in fifteen minutes."

Harry wasn't sure why he was going along with his aunt's orders, but he was too curious to stop now. And the way he saw it, he could always send a message to Sirius and the others later and they'd bring him back.

With that thought in mind, he went over to the desk where Hedwig was happily munching on the frog she had caught earlier. He reached over and began petting her head.

"Hey, girl," he said quietly, "looks like I'm leaving. I want you to come find me, but not right away, wait until morning. Aunt Petunia wants to be sneaky about this."

The snowy owl gave a soft hoot and nipped his fingers affectionately. He gave a heavy sigh and went back to his packing.

Fifteen minutes later found him seated in the passenger seat of his uncle's car with his aunt behind the wheel, carefully making their way off Privet Drive. To be safe, Petunia had told him to keep quiet and leave the Cloak on till they were out of Surrey.

Once they hit the main road to London, Harry pulled the Cloak off and turned to look at his aunt. She had promised she would answer his questions, but would she actually keep her word?

"So," he shook his head, might as well go for it, "this uncle of mine, why haven't I heard of him before now? Why haven't I met him? Why didn't I live with him instead, you guys always hated me? And how do you even know my father had a brother?"

"Calm down," she took a deep breath. "I'll start at the beginning, which will actually answer you last question first. I actually met your father and his brother at the same time: at your parents' wedding. While it may have been obligatory for your mother to invite me, I did attend, she was my sister after all.

"It surprised me actually, because he couldn't have been much older than twelve. He was your father's best man."

"I thought Sirius was my dad's best man?" Harry interrupted.

"Did he tell you that?" she gave him a sidelong glance.

"Everyone said so," the teen shrugged. "I actually first heard about it from the Minister of Magic."

"Sirius acted the part," Petunia continued. "Your uncle was a quiet boy, and he let him act the part, so that's not surprising. He actually left before the celebrations were over, but Lily told me about him. Apparently, he and your father were from a foreign land and were not actually Potters at all. They're relatives of the Potters, though I'm not sure how they're related, but your father went to live with them when he was accepted to Hogwarts.

"Anyway, after your parents died, and you were brought to us, your uncle showed up. He was named your guardian in their will. He was only fourteen at the time and in no condition to actually raise a child. He and I discussed it and, I admit I was being selfish, I wanted to keep you, you were the last connection I had to my sister. I didn't think Vernon would be so cruel to you, but I was wrong."

"But why didn't you stop him?" Harry shook his head, none of this was making sense. "If I was your connection to my mum, why didn't you treat me better?"

"There is no excuse," she sighed. "I was always jealous of your mother because of her magic, and when it became obvious you were just like her, I couldn't help it. You and Lily are part of something that I could never share, and, sadly, it hurt and I ended up taking it out on the person to which I was jealous."

"I guess that makes sense," he sighed, if he knew nothing else about her, his aunt thrived on being the center of attention.

"Anyway," she shook her head to get back on track, "your uncle left that scroll with me and told me to contact him if I ever changed my mind about keeping you. Truthfully, I almost contacted him when you first received your Hogwarts letter, but Lily would've wanted you to go. So I held off. But after tonight, to hell with what Dumbledore says, I'm going to send you to him. Hopefully, Japan will be far enough away to keep you out of that monster's grasp. And you uncle obviously has magic to help in that aspect, whereas Vernon and I have nothing, except a vague promise that there are wards around our house."

When she finished, Harry sat back to take in everything he'd just learned. It seemed almost too farfetched, but he'd witnessed the dog's arrival himself, and his aunt just didn't have the capability to make something like that up. He really wanted to know more, but it was obvious his aunt had given him all the information she knew. That meant all he could do now was wait till they got to Japan.

"Wait, we're going to Japan?!"

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Kakashi made his way out of his apartment and headed straight for the Hokage's office. He needed to at least inform Lady Tsunade that someone was coming to live in the village for the foreseeable future. He made his way up the stairs and paused outside the closed office door. He could hear voices, but couldn't make out what was being said. It didn't matter though, he had to report in immediately. So with that thought in mind, he knocked on the closed portal.

"Enter," the Hokage called impatiently.

"Sorry to bother you," he said as soon as he cleared the threshold, but paused when he saw the three shinobi who were already in the room. "Am I interrupting?"

"As a matter of fact, you are," the blonde woman behind the desk sighed. "But I'm glad you're here. Konoha was just about to accept a Sunagakure refugee, and I'd like for you to check in on him from time to time."

"I don't see a problem with that," his one visible eye narrowed. "But can I ask why he's here?"

"The village has decided to turn against my brother," the young blonde kunoichi in front of the desk answered tersely. "After we assisted Konoha in the retrieval of Sasuke Uchiha and subsequently failed in that objective, the elders decided that Gaara was not worth the risk anymore and had him arrested. It took us three years, but Kankuro and I finally managed to get him out and sneak him out of the village. As Kazekage, Kankuro can smooth things over about the breakout, but as it stands, Gaara can never return to Suna.

"We had hoped to leave him with Naruto, but as he is still off training, I approached Shikamaru for a favor, since he does owe me after all," she smiled at the Chunin.

"This is such a drag," the brunet sighed. "I had to bring them here and get permission, cause it'd be too troublesome to harbor a fugitive in my house."

"I see," the jonin nodded. "I don't mind checking in on him now and again. However, I did come here for another reason. Lady Tsunade," he turned his attention back to the Hokage, "I'm actually here to let you know that my nephew is coming to live with me."

"Nephew?" she frowned. "What nephew?"

"My older brother Jirou's son," Kakashi sighed. "He spent the last several years before his death on an extended mission, I'm sure there's a file on it around here somewhere. Anyway, I was supposed to take custody of him upon my brother's death, but his wife's sister begged to keep him and I let her. However, she just contacted me and I'm taking him in. I cannot refuse, he's the only family I have left."

"Very well," she waved him off. "Thanks for letting me know. Now all of you get out of my office."

The four shinobi nodded and filed out of the room. Temari stopped just outside the Tower and turned to the stoic redhead.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," she looked like she wanted to reach out to him, but held herself in check, "I have to leave now, as it is Kankuro's going to have enough trouble with your disappearance, he doesn't need me taking too long to get back."

"I understand, Temari," Gaara nodded. "Thank you for not abandoning me. And thank Kankuro as well. Now go. I don't want you hurt for my sake."

"Right," she turned away to hide her tears. "You better take care of him, Shikamaru."

With that, she took off at a run. The three males watched her go before looking at one another.

"I should be going as well," Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to get home and prepare for my nephew. You two wouldn't happen to want to help Iruka and I move across town, would you?"

"Sure," the redhead answered immediately.

"Oh come on," Shikamaru groaned. "This is such a drag. Fine, I guess I have no choice."

"Great," the one visible eye closed in his version of a smile. "If you want to head over to my apartment, Iruka should be back soon. I have one more stop to make."

He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, trusting the two teens to do what they said. He then made his way over to the training grounds, where Might Gai was normally found at this time of day with what remained of his team. He wished that Asuma and Kurenai were in the village, but unfortunately they were both away on missions of some sort. Well, it didn't matter, they weren't there and his choices were limited. He also really needed to do this quickly, and who better than Konaha's Green Beast to take on that challenge.

He made it to the training ground and was surprised to find not only Gai and his look alike prodigy, Rock Lee, but Neji Hyuga as well. The young Hyuga prodigy was now a jonin and hardly ever found with the two green clad shinobi. He quickly shook it off, he had more pressing matters to deal with than the training habits of the younger generation.

"Yo," he called as he landed on the branch of a nearby tree.

"Kakashi!" Gai called exuberantly to his self proclaimed rival. "Have you come to train with us? Or perhaps you'd like to challenge me, and attempt to even up our score?"

"Uh, no," the Copy Ninja shook his head. "I'm actually here to ask a favor."

"A favor? Of me?" a thick eyebrow rose in surprise.

"Yeah," Kakashi sighed, he really hated to do this, Gai would never let him live it down. "The thing is, I just found out my nephew is coming to live with me, and I need to move. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, except he should be here in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

R-right!" Gai struck a pose, his thumb raised and teeth gleaming. "Come Lee, Neji, let's help Kakashi in his time of need, and if we cannot complete the task by nightfall, we'll do one hundred laps around the village."

"Yes, Gai-Sensei," Lee saluted and the pair took off at a run.

Kakashi gave a longsuffering sigh. What had he gotten himself into? Well, all he could do now was hope to get back to Iruka before those two did. Before he could disappear, however, a hand landed on his arm. He'd forgotten he wasn't alone.

"You seem distracted, Kakashi," the young jonin said quietly.

"Yeah," he shook his head. "We should go."

With that he disappeared. The young Hyuga frowned at this. Something was truly wrong with the silver haired man. He would get to the bottom of this, even if it took the rest of the day. On that note, he followed after the others.

Kakashi, thankfully, arrived back at his apartment in time to warn his boyfriend of what he had done. The young Chunin just laughed, and then showed that he had also found them help in the forms of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame. They waited for a few minutes for the rest of the recruits to show up. Once they did, Iruka took charge as only a teacher could.

"Alright," he clapped his hands together, "here's the plan. I will take Hinata and Shino over to the other house, start airing it out and, as things start arriving, unpacking. Kakashi, you will remain here with Neji, Gaara, and Shikamaru. Why is Shikamaru here again? Never mind. You four will stay here and pack everything up. Gai, Lee, Kiba, and Akamaru will run things back and forth. Now, Kakashi, if you would please tell me where this house is, we can begin."

"Here, take Pakkun," he quickly summoned the little pug. "He knows where it is. Pakkun, please show Iruka to my old home."

"Sure thing, Boss," the dog jumped onto the brunet's shoulder. "Let's go, Iruka."

"Okay," the Chunin nodded. "Hinata, Shino, you're with me. Gai, Lee, there are a couple boxes already packed just inside the door, if you'd like to grab them."

Once the boxes were grabbed, they headed off for their destination. Kakashi sighed again, he was doing that a lot today, and ran his hands through his hair. He then turned to the four remaining teens.

"Well, let's get on with it," he motioned them into the house. "I think Iruka has some boxes in the bedroom. We'll start in the kitchen."

Kiba and Gaara went back to the bedroom to grab the boxes while Kakashi led the other two into the kitchen. Shikamaru sat down at the small table and laid his head on the flat surface. Kakashi made his way over to one of the cupboards and began pulling the contents out and setting them on the counter. After a moment of watching, Neji went over and leaned against the counter next to where his fellow jonin was working.

"Kakashi," the pale eyed teen crossed his arms over his chest, "what has got you so rattled? You are not acting like yourself."

"I don't know what you mean," the masked man shook his head, but didn't look away from his current task.

"You asked Gai-Sensei for a favor," Neji quirked a brow, "that in and of itself is suspicious. You know he will never let you live that down. So what is going on?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Kiba asked as he and Gaara entered the kitchen, each carrying a stack of boxes. "Iruka-Sensei was rather vague about it when he asked for our help, except that the two of you needed help to move quickly."

"His nephew is coming to live with him," Shikamaru lifted his head off the table. "At least that's what he told the Hokage."

"That's what he told Gai-Sensei as well," the Hyuga went over and grabbed a box from the silent redhead, and began placing the items carefully inside.

"Nephew?" the dog shinobi frowned, dropping his stack of boxes on the floor next to the table. "How do you have a nephew?"

"One would assume it is his brother's son," Gaara answered in a monotone. "He mentioned the name Jirou in the Hokage's office."

"Okay," Kiba held up his hand. "So you've got a brother, Jirou? out there somewhere, who has a kid, who is now coming to live with you? I can live with that. But what I don't understand is why none of us have ever heard of them, or met them. Is your brother missing? A rogue? Moved to a different village?"

"He's dead," Kakashi leaned his hands on the counter.

"Sorry," the shaggy haired brunet's eyes widened in shock.

"Look," the older shinobi sighed and finally looked at the four teens, "I will tell you about my brother and my nephew, but you have to pack up this room as I do so."

"Fine, great," Kiba grabbed a box and moved to one of the cabinets, Gaara and, surprisingly, Shikamaru following suit.

"Kakashi!" Gai's voice rang throughout the house, signaling the return of the dynamic duo.

"Excuse me," the silver haired jonin left the kitchen, leaving four frustrated teens in his wake.

The four of them continued putting things in boxes while Kakashi went to give the two new arrivals a task. He returned to the kitchen a few minutes later and took the recently vacated seat at the table.

"Alright," he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the teens, who were diligently packing way, but it was clear their attention was focused solely on him. "The reason you haven't seen or heard of my brother is because he left the village at the age of eleven for an extended infiltration and observation mission. He was only supposed to be gone for seven years, but while he was gone, he met and fell in love with a local woman. He asked the Hokage to extend his mission indefinitely, which was granted. He eventually married Lily and they had a son, Harry.

"A year and a half later, I got a distress signal from Jirou. He and Lily were attacked and killed, and Harry, for unknown reasons, was sent to Lily's sister, even though I was named his guardian. The Hokage sent me and a small team to retrieve Jirou's body, which I brought back, along with his wife's.

"After they were put to rest, I went back for Harry. His aunt begged to keep him, and I was young, it was before I even had a squad, and I couldn't see myself raising a kid, still kinda don't, so I let her keep him. I haven't even seen him since that day. But she has asked me to take him, and as I am his legal guardian, I couldn't say no.

"On that note," he looked up and met each of their gazes in turn, "I'd appreciate it if you four would help me keep an eye on him, when you're not busy of course."

None of them were sure how to respond to that, not even Kiba who usually had a comeback for everything, so they just continued working.

"Right," Kakashi shook his head and pushed to his feet. "Well now you know, and I'm off to pack up the bedroom. When you're done in here, you can move to the living room."

When the kitchen was packed, they moved to the living room as instructed and Kiba began carting boxes with Gai and Lee. It didn't take long before the entire house was packed and everyone was carrying the last batch over to the other house.

"Kakashi," Neji said as he walked next to the other jonin, "what's going to happen with your apartment?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I'll probably rent it out. Why?"

"Can I rent it from you?" the pale eyed teen asked.

"I thought the Hyugas had rules about such things," the Copy Ninja cast a sidelong glance at the teen. "Don't all Hyugas have to live in the compound or something?"

"Technically," Neji shrugged. "I've already discussed it with my uncle, and he said if I could find a place, he would support my moving out. With his blessing, as head of the clan, not even the elders can stop me."

"I see," Kakashi nodded. "Well, if you want it, you can have it. I'll figure out rent when I've actually had time to think about it. But feel free to move in, you know everything's clean."

"Thank you, Kakashi," the Hyuga prodigy smiled slightly. "And if you need help with your nephew, don't hesitate to ask."

"I appreciate that, Neji," the silver haired man smiled beneath his mask.

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so there it is. I've still got chapters sitting on my computer, so my weekly posts will continue, so look for one of my other fics next week. Anyway, let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Nope… just nope.

AN: Okay, so here's the weekly chapter. Hope this one answers some questions.

Chapter 3: New Home

Neji Hyuga stood in the living room of his new apartment, a small smile gracing his features. True, there wasn't much as far as furnishings went, just what little his uncle had let him take from the compound; his bed, a spare couch, and a table; but the truth of the matter was that it was his, he was finally free of his clan.

His thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks on the front door. His smile vanished in an instant as he turned to answer it. On the step were all those he considered friends. There were those from earlier: Lee, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata; and it appeared they had been joined by Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akamichi, and Sakura Haruno.

"Hello, Neji," his former teammate greeted cheerfully. "We have come to congratulate you on your new home, with celebrations."

"Of course you did," he opened the door further and motioned them inside, he could've turned them away, but it wasn't like he didn't want the company. "I'm sorry, there's not much here as far as seating or food. I did just move in today."

"No worries, I brought food," Choji held up ten plastic bags filled to the brim with various food stuffs.

"That's great," the pale eyed teen chuckled quietly. "Kitchen's through there," he pointed to the doorway on the right. "We should probably grab the chairs from in there. Even so, I'm afraid people are going to have to sit on the floor."

No one seemed to care, and about ten minutes later everyone was seated around the living room with plates of food.

"So, Neji," the pink haired kunoichi asked, "why did you move into Kakashi-Sensei's apartment? And when did he even move?"

"I wanted my own place," Neji shrugged. "So I asked Kakashi if I could rent it from him since he didn't need it anymore."

"And we helped him and Iruka-Sensei move earlier today," Kiba interjected. "They needed a bigger place to accommodate his nephew."

"Nephew?" the ones who hadn't heard the story earlier chorused.

"Yeah, apparently Kakashi-Sensei's brother had a brat who's now coming to live with him," the dog shinobi shook his head. "And he asked me, Neji, Shika, and Gaara to babysit for him, too."

"Yeah, the four people who should be watching a kid," Shikamaru said sarcastically. "Why didn't he ask Ino, or Sakura, or even Hinata?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Shikamaru?" Ino asked incredulously, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm not just saying that because you're girls," the lazy Chunin held up his hands defensively. "I mean, as girls, you're more likely to get asked to babysit. Hell, I even get Kiba and Neji being asked. Kiba's just like a kid himself and he's got Akamaru, it'd be fun for the kid. And well, Neji's responsible and would take the job very seriously. But why ask me and Gaara? Watching a kid is too troublesome, and I just don't want to do it. And who in their right mind would ask Gaara? No offense," he glanced over at the former Sand shinobi, who just shrugged showing none was taken.

"How do you even know it's a kid?" Shino asked quietly.

The four teens who heard the story frowned in thought. They were sure Kakashi had mentioned it at some point.

"He said the last time he saw him he was one and a half," Shikamaru scratched his chin. "And that was before he got his team. So logically, he'd be about five, ten at most."

"Well," Sakura shook her head, "personally, I can't wait to meet him. He's probably a real cutie."

888888

Harry Potter yawned as he followed his aunt through Haneda airport. The flight had taken forever, even though he'd slept through most of it. Customs had also taken awhile, but now they were on their way to the baggage claim area. They didn't actually have any baggage to claim, but apparently that was where they were to meet his uncle.

His eyes darted around, trying to see if he could pinpoint the one they were looking for. Except he didn't know what his uncle looked like. There weren't even any pictures in his album, he'd checked once they'd boarded the plane. So he could only assume he looked similar to his dad. Only problem with that was there were so many dark haired people in the crowd.

He felt a tug on his arm from his aunt. She was looking pointedly at a spot next to the window and began leading him in that direction. He was confused because the only person he saw older man with silver hair and an eye patch, reading a small lurid orange book.

"Mr. Hatake," she said once they were standing directly in front of the man.

The single eye drifted up from the book, which closed with an audible snap, revealing a white surgical mask covering the lower half of the man's face. Now that they were so close, he saw that the man wasn't actually that old.

"Ah, Mrs. Dursley," Mr. Hatake said cordially. "It's good to see you again. And… god, you look just like Jirou. Anyway, I'm Kakashi, your uncle. It's good to see you again, Harry."

"Yeah," Harry said lamely, this man was something else.

"So, Petunia," the silver haired man turned his attention back to the female, "do you have time to grab a bite before you head back?"

"My plane doesn't leave till morning," she shook her head, "but I'd actually prefer you take Harry and go as quickly as possible. I just want him safe and out of harm's way."

"I see," Kakashi nodded. "And his things?"

"I will send them, or if you could have someone pick them up?"

"I can do that," he began rummaging through his pockets, finally withdrawing a small scroll. "Take this, do not open it until you have his things together. Pakkun and a couple of my other dogs will retrieve them. They'll disappear as soon as they have them so don't worry about that. Well, till next time, I guess."

"I don't think there will be a next time," she sighed, extending her hand. "Goodbye, Kakashi. Harry," she turned to her nephew, "I wish you the best, and please stay out of trouble."

"Goodbye, Aunt Petunia," he shook her hand, and then, acting on Gryffindor impulse, gave her a quick hug.

She returned the embrace a bit hesitantly and then pulled away, her eyes swimming with tears. She pulled a lace handkerchief from her pocket as she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"Well," Kakashi rubbed his hands together, "we have a bit of a trip ahead of us before we get home. Come on, I'll get a cab and I'll explain a few things on the way."

The tall man led him out of the airport to the busy street. He hailed a cab and they climbed inside. Kakashi gave the driver the destination and they pulled out into traffic.

"So," the silver haired man turned to face his nephew, "do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"

"I don't know where to start," Harry bit his lip. "I know absolutely nothing about you. I just found out I even had another uncle when my aunt contacted you."

"I see," Kakashi nodded, this was unexpected. "Well, how about this? I'll tell you about myself and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Okay," the Gryffindor agreed, that worked.

"Let's see," the one visible eye studied the ceiling as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Your father, Jirou, is my older brother. We were both born and raised in Konohagakure, which translates to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We were both trained from a young age as shinobi in our village, as most children are."

"Shinobi?" Harry asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Ninja," he clarified. "Most of the community I live in is comprised of ninja. We'll go into the finer points later, just know that it is my job and it can take me away from the village for days or even weeks at a time. Though if that happens I don't want you to worry."

"You know, I'm fifteen," annoyed green eyes glared over the spectacles at the other. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm not saying you're not," Kakashi patted his head indulgently. "As I was saying, my boyfriend, Iruka, is going to be living with us and he will be there when I am not. However, he teaches at the Academy, so most of the time you'll be on your own. Though, I have asked a few of my colleagues to help out as well. They're your age, so I'm sure you'll get along with them."

"So, I'm going to have babysitters," he scoffed, sitting back, arms crossed sullenly against his chest. He thought he was leaving that behind in England.

"Don't think of them as babysitters," the silver haired shinobi sighed. "And I'm going to start your training once you're settled in, so bodyguards would become a moot point."

"You really think I could be trained as a ninja?" his previous ire momentarily forgotten, no one had offered to train him specifically before, except for Remus teaching him to repel the dementors.

"I don't see why not," Kakashi smiled under his mask. "If the likes of Lee, Naruto, and Konahamaru can do it, so can you. Besides, you'll have the best teachers in Konoha. Iruka can teach you the basics, and I'll take over once you've got those down."

Before Harry could respond, the taxi rolled to a stop at the outskirts of a vast forest. As they stepped out and Kakashi paid the driver, green eyes landed on a sign, not that he could read it, as it was in Japanese.

"Where are we?" he asked as his uncle stepped up beside him.

"Aokigahara Forest," Kakashi took a deep breath, "it's a secret entrance into the Elemental nations, similar to the Leaky Cauldron in London."

"You've been to the Leaky Cauldron?" he asked surprised.

"Come on," the one eyed man chuckled, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder and urging him on. "When I went to England for your parents' wedding, your father was quite insistent that I see everything about the new world he'd assimilated into, including the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley. Now, I really want to get home, your aunt's behavior has set me slightly on edge. So, I'm going to ask that you climb on my back."

"Why?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Because, even with your added weight, I can run twice as fast as a normal person," Kakashi squatted down. "If you don't mind, I really feel haste is necessary."

The raven haired wizard sighed, but did as his uncle said. As soon as he was secure, Kakashi took off for the heart of the forest at top speed.

888888

Iruka paced back and forth just inside the gates of Konohagakure, anxiously awaiting the return of his boyfriend and his young nephew. The gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, watched his progress in growing concern. They'd never seen the Chunin Instructor act like that before, not even when Naruto, his favorite student, had gone off to train.

As he made another pass, a small group of teens approached the gate. The six of them stopped next to the guard station and settled in to wait.

"Are they not here yet, Iruka-Sensei?" the pink haired kunoichi asked.

"Oh, Sakura," Iruka startled out of his pacing for just a moment. "I didn't realize you were coming. But no, they aren't. Kakashi said they'd be here this afternoon, but it's getting late and they're not here."

"Come on, Iruka-Sensei," Sakura scoffed slightly as he took up pacing again. "This is Kakashi-Sensei we're talking about. He's always late, it shouldn't be that surprising."

Four incredulous gazes turned to the pinkette, though Iruka seemed not to be paying attention as he continued his rounds.

"Would you shut up, Sakura," the tall, long haired brunet finally gave voice to their collective thoughts. "One would think, that as a medic in training, you would have learned a bit of empathy toward those who are suffering. Iruka is entitled to worry about his boyfriend. And if he feels there is a need to worry, then perhaps there is an actual reason."

"Look, Neji," pale green eyes rolled in annoyance, "Kakashi was my sensei. I know all his tricks. He enjoys making people wait."

"He may have been your teacher, but he is Iruka's boyfriend," pale eyes snapped dangerously. "The relationship is entirely different. He knows things about Kakashi that you could never hope to dream of. So keep your mouth shut and wait." He then turned to the others, "If he is not back in half an hour, we'll go look for him."

"That won't be necessary," Gaara spoke up, drawing their attention to him. "Kakashi is there."

He pointed down the road, where a figure was running toward the village. As he drew nearer, Iruka sprinted out the gate to meet him, the others following at a more sedate pace.

"Kakashi," the Chunin said when he finally reached his boyfriend, "what happened? What took you so long? I was worried something terrible had happened."

"I'm sorry, Ruka," the silver haired man shook his head, removing the boy from his back. "The flight was delayed, and the guards at the border decided they needed to hold us up. I'm glad I got signed permission from Lady Tsunade before I left, otherwise they would've kept Harry there. Speaking of," he motioned to Harry, "Iruka, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Harry Potter. _Harry, this is my boyfriend, Iruka Umino._ "

"Kakashi?" confused brown eyes turned to the taller man.

"Yeah," Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Harry doesn't speak Japanese. It's something he and I are going to work on. Ah," he spotted the other teens, "looks like we have a crowd. Hello, I'd like you all to meet my nephew, Harry. _Harry, these are those colleagues I told you about. This is Sakura Haruno, she was a member of my squad before it broke up. That one is Ino Yamanaka. Then there's Choji Akamichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Neji Hyuga. And the little redhead there is…"_

" _Sabaku no Gaara,"_ the former Sand shinobi cut in. _"You may call me Gaara. It is an honor to meet you, Harry Potter."_

All eyes turned to the redhead in shock. None of them had expected that from the stoic teen. However, Harry was the first to snap out of it.

" _I-it's nice to meet you, too,"_ out of habit, he extended his hand toward the redhead.

Pale jade orbs drifted down to the proffered hand, while the others held their breath, each ready to step in if something untoward should happen. After a moment, he took it and gave it a firm shake, before pulling away.

"Well, it's getting late," Kakashi let out a slow breath, that had been almost too much for his poor heart. "We should be heading home. _Come, Harry, we're going home now._ "

They all headed back into the village and then split up and went their separate ways. Once they reached the house, Kakashi gave Harry a tour while Iruka went out to get them something for dinner.

888888

Petunia Dursley sat in the king sized bed of her room at the airport hotel, daintily sipping a glass of red wine and reading a trashy romance novel she'd picked up before leaving Heathrow. It was a strange, yet pleasant experience for her. She hadn't been on her own like this since Dudley had been born, having him or her husband as a constant presence. Not that she would want this very often, but it was a nice change.

And she was also glad that Harry was now with Kakashi. She would miss him, he was her nephew after all, but as soon as she had handed him over it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. It felt like she could actually breathe for the first time in fourteen years.

She had just poured herself a second glass of wine, when a soft POP filled the room. She was glad she had just set down the bottle on the nightstand next to the glass or she would have spilled it all over with how violently she started at the noise. Her eyes darted to the source of the disturbance, and finally landed on a bearded old man in dark blue robes, with half moon spectacles covering his bright blue eyes. She knew this man, if only from descriptions she had gotten from her sister.

"Dumbledore," she said quietly, not having expected this visit quite yet.

"Petunia," his lips drew together in a frown. "What have you done? Where is Harry?"

A devious smile pulled at her own mouth, "I'm not sure what you mean. I have only done what is in Harry's best interest. Something I actually should have done years ago. He is now safe from you and your kind, but especially from Voldemort. And the best part, you will never find him unless he wants to be found."

"You pathetic Muggle," Dumbledore sneered. "There is no place you could hide him that we will not find him. He has a destiny to fulfill and there is no power you possess that will keep him from us and his destiny."

"Insult me all you like," she scoffed, "but obviously I have outsmarted you, and Harry is now beyond your reach, otherwise you would not be here in my hotel room. Now, I believe it is time for you to leave, I have a plane to catch first thing in the morning."

"You'll pay for this Petunia Dursley, mark my words," he glared at her.

"Right," she rolled her eyes. "Bye now."

With one last sneer in her direction, he disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared.

As soon as he was gone, she settled smugly back against the headboard. She hadn't known exactly what would happen when she sent Harry with Kakashi, just that he would be better able to protect him, but this was better than she could've ever hoped for. Apparently, James' little brother had some strong magic of his own, stronger than even Dumbledore's. It looked like her choice was becoming even more appealing by the moment, and there was nothing the old codger could do to her that would change her mind.

* * *

Ammie: First of all, let me point out, I am not a big Sakura fan so please just accept that I will write her how I see her, and it might come off as a bit bashy. Also, if there are any mistakes that you see, please let me know, I typed this up while I was tired so my brain isn't quite working at full capacity. Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Welp, I think that says it all…

AN: Okay folks, we've come once again to the twelve days of Christmas. I have most of the chapters completed, but still have a couple to go so wish me luck. Anyway, let's get on with the reason you're actually here and the first day of Christmas present to all of you. I hope ya'll enjoy.

Chapter 4: Interrogations and Language Barriers

As Kakashi led his nephew away, all eyes turned to the little redhead. Gaara just stared impassively back. It was Choji, however, who finally broke the tension.

"Well," the tall redhead said, "I have reservations for Bar-b-que, if anyone wants to come along."

"Naw, you go," Shikamaru shrugged. "My mom made dinner, and you know how she gets. Gaara and I are expected to be there."

"I should go as well," Neji shook his head. "I have some paperwork to put together for Lady Hokage."

"I'm on a diet," Sakura said with a mild look of disgust.

"Aren't you always, Billboard Brow?" Ino scoffed. "I'll go with you, Choji. I can order a salad. You're buying, right, Choji?"

"If you're only getting a salad, I think I can manage," he laughed as the two teammates walked away.

The pinkette rolled her eyes and walked away in a slight huff. The other two Leaf shinobi shared a look before heading off in the opposite direction of the medic.

"So we going to your place, Neji?" the lazy Chunin asked.

"Yeah," the pale eyed teen nodded.

Gaara didn't say anything as he allowed the pair to escort him to Neji's apartment. He knew as soon as they reached their destination they were going to start questioning him. He didn't mind answering, it was just a part of his past that he had never shared with anyone before. There were the obvious reasons; it had been a top secret mission he had been assigned and it was also one of his father's many bids to get rid of him, but those aside, it had been the happiest six months of his life, prior to meeting Naruto.

His thoughts were interrupted as Neji unlocked the door to the apartment. The three of them made their way over to the living room. Neji and Shikamaru sat down on the sofa while Gaara remained standing and stared out the window at the gathering dusk.

"So," pale eyes locked on the redhead, "Gaara, care to explain what that was back there? How did you understand him?"

The former Sand shinobi took a deep breath before turning to face his companions, "As you know, I am the son of the former Kazekage, because of this, things were expected of me. I was taught several languages when I was young, among them Chinese, Russian, French, Spanish, and English. Kakashi's nephew speaks English, more specifically the accent suggests Great Britain. I recognized it because I spent some time in the British Isles a few years ago on a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Shikamaru frowned, aside from Kakashi's brother he'd not heard of a ninja being sent outside the elemental nations.

"There was a break in at a bank," the redhead shook his head. "There was no sign of the intruder or evidence how they had gotten in. My father was contacted and I was sent. The culprit was not found, even after I was there for six months. It was my first failed mission."

"But why would a shinobi of your caliber be sent for something as simple as a break in?" Neji asked.

"The clients were wizards," Gaara sighed. "They use magic, similar to how we utilize chakra."

"There's no such thing as magic," the lazy Chunin scoffed.

"You can believe what you will," he shrugged. "But I was there. I know what I saw. I actually still have a contact there. In fact, he tried to contact me for a mission a couple years back, but I was already imprisoned at that point and could do nothing."

"I thought you didn't do well with people," the pale eyed Jonin frowned. "Naruto was an exception because he's just like you."

"So is Remus, in a way," the redhead shook his head. "He is not a jinchuriki, but his monster is just as powerful as any of the bijuu, only more out of control. He's what is known as a werewolf, and we learned a lot from each other over the years. I should probably write him and establish that line of communication again."

"That's all well and good, I'm sure we'll hear more about it later," Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "In the meantime, can you teach us English? It seems it might come in handy for more than just talking with Kakashi's nephew."

"I believe that would be wise," Gaara nodded. "I also know a jutsu that will help expedite the process. However, it will take time, not as much as it normally would, and I will warn you, I am not an easy instructor."

"Didn't think you would," the lazy Chunin sighed. "This is so troublesome."

888888

Remus Lupin sat in the kitchen of twelve Grimmauld Place, the current headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, waiting in silent trepidation as Albus Dumbledore paced angrily around the room. The entire Order had been summoned for an emergency meeting, but the aged headmaster had not said anything for almost fifteen minutes now, and everyone was getting restless.

"Why did you call us here in the middle of the night, Dumbledore?" trust Severus to get right to the point. "Some of us actually have important matters to attend to."

"Harry is missing," the old man turned to address the assembled crowd, his eyes not holding their usual twinkle.

The uproar this simple announcement cause was almost deafening as practically everyone began shouting at once. Dumbledore, however, held up his hands and silence fell once again.

"I can assure you that he was not taken by Voldemort or his Death Eaters," he shook his head. "No, his Muggle relatives have somehow hidden him from even the most advanced magic."

"How is that even possible, Albus?" Minerva McGonagall asked with a frown.

"I do not know," Dumbledore finally took a seat at the head of the table. "All I know is that when I realized something was wrong, I went in search of Petunia Dursley and found her in Tokyo."

Remus could've sworn he saw a smirk cross the face of Sirius Black out of the corner of his eyes, but when he turned to face him, his face was blank.

"Why would they take him there?" Molly Weasley asked, confused. "It seems a bit extreme to take him to Japan."

"Japan is known for its ancient and mysterious magic," Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody scratched at his lopsided nose. "Maybe they discovered something there that would hide the boy."

"They are Muggles, Moody," Severus sneered. "They know next to nothing about magic, and these particular Muggles hate and fear it. They would not seek out any form of magic, especially not to help their nephew. What surprises me, though, is that we haven't heard anything from the mutt. Cat got your tongue, Black?"

"No, Snivellus," grey eyes narrowed into a glare. "I was just thinking of everything I need to have to be ready to leave for Japan as soon as this meeting is over."

"Sirius, I cannot allow you…" the headmaster began.

"Save it, Dumbledore," the escaped convict cut him off. "You lost the right to tell me what to do when you lost my godson. So unless you plan to have me arrested and admit that you've been aiding and abetting me for the past year, you'll shut up and let me go about finding Harry."

With that, he pushed to his feet and left the room. Remus glanced around at the others before following his friend from the room. He caught up with the other just as he reached the door to his bedroom.

"Sirius, what were you thinking, talking to Dumbledore like that?"

"Not here," Sirius grabbed his arm and dragged him into the room.

He practically tossed him onto the bed and then began making his way around the room, grabbing several items and tossing them into a magically enhanced knapsack. Remus had just found his voice when the other stopped moving.

"Kreacher," Sirius said before Remus could say anything.

"Sirius," the werewolf sighed as they waited for the house elf to appear.

"Look, Moony," his friend shook his head, "I don't care if you tag along, but if you're going to come, I suggest you go pack. I'm gonna leave as soon as I finish with Kreacher. Kreacher, goddamn it, get in here! That's an order."

A loud CRACK filled the air and a small creature with large bat like ears and a snout like nose appeared. His bloodshot eyes assessed the two men with unveiled distain before he sank into a low bow at Sirius' feet.

"Master called for poor Kreacher?" he asked in a low raspy voice. "Ungrateful brat always trying to…"

"Just shut up for five minutes, Kreacher."

The elf's mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

"Now," Sirius took a deep breath, "I want you to go to the kitchen and get me some food, nothing gross, but enough to last two people for about two weeks. Now, this next part is very important and I need you to listen carefully: I'm not kicking anyone out while I'm gone, but I want you to monitor everything they do, especially the meetings, and report everything back directly to me. Understood?" the small bald head bobbed in the affirmative. "And, you know what, Kreacher," he said, more as an afterthought, "as a reward for all this, I'll let you gather anything that you feel needs salvaged from the restoration project they've got going on. Just know I will go through it all when I get back. Have some fun, cause some mayhem, you know, things you're good at. Now go."

The elf disappeared with another accompanying CRACK. Sirius then turned back to his friend.

"Seriously, Remus, if you want to come along, go get your stuff," grey eyes held brown. "You have about five to ten minutes before I'm out the door. If you're coming, I'll explain everything once we're out of here. I don't trust anyone here, not with Harry's safety."

"Fine," the werewolf sighed, pushing to his feet. "I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."

"No," Sirius shook his head. "Meet me back here. I don't want to risk anyone following us."

Remus nodded and made his way across the hall to his room to gather his things.

888888

Harry woke with the sun the following morning. He felt exhausted but the bright sunlight, coupled with his new unfamiliar surroundings, made it impossible for him to go back to sleep. With that realization, he climbed out of bed and located some clean clothes in his knapsack. Once he was dressed, he made his way out of the room and toward the kitchen, where the enticing scent of food was pulling him.

He was surprised, when he entered, to see not his uncle but the brunet he'd introduced as his boyfriend. Iruka, he thought his name was. The man turned from the stove, unsurprised by his appearance, with a kind smile on his face.

"Good morning, Harry," he said quietly. "I made breakfast," he indicated the stove. "I know you can't understand me, but please, have a seat?" he motioned to the table.

Harry nodded, showing he understood, even though the words were completely foreign to him. He pulled out a chair and took a seat. The man's smile grew as his instructions were followed. He turned back to the stove and grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets. He piled it with food and placed it before the boy, along with a pair of chopsticks.

"Eat," he encouraged, moving to the doorway. "I'm going to go wake up, Kakashi."

The teen only vaguely understood what he was getting at, but decided to turn his attention to the food in front of him. Iruka nodded and continued out of the room. He made his way down the hallway to the room he shared with his boyfriend. He entered quietly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Kakashi," he called quietly, marveling at how peaceful the other looked in sleep. "Kakashi, it's time to wake up."

"Mmm," his non sharingan eye peeked open. "No."

In a move that caught the younger man off guard, he wrapped an arm around his waist and dragged him down on the bed, moving so that he was pinning him beneath him.

"Kakashi!" Iruka protested. "I have to be at the academy in half an hour."

"Hm," a smirk graced the handsome face, "looks like we have some time then."

"And your nephew is in the kitchen," the Chunin frowned.

"Harry's awake?" Kakashi jumped up and began throwing on clothes. "I thought for sure he'd sleep in. Is he okay?"

"I left him eating breakfast," Iruka propped himself up on his elbows to watch his normally composed lover scramble around like a teenager, feeling he should be a bit offended with how easily he'd been distracted but not able to manage it. "He should be fine for a bit. But it is hard to talk to him when we speak different languages."

"I promise we'll work on that," Kakashi flashed him a smile before pulling his mask into place. "Just not right now. You have work and I have to talk to Lady Tsunade." He finally held out his hand for the other, "Come on, let's go."

The brunet shook his head but allowed the Jonin to pull him up and together they made their way back to the kitchen. They both frowned slightly as they entered and saw Harry sitting at the table with his hands folded in his lap and a full plate of food in front of him.

" _Something wrong with the food?"_ Kakashi asked, making his way to the stove to get his own plate.

" _No, sir,"_ the teen answered quietly, _"I just had nothing to eat with."_

" _Didn't Iruka…?"_ his one visible eye narrowed as he scanned the table. _"Ah, I see."_ He turned back to the counter, _"Your mother had the same issue. Jirou used to get a kick out of it, but I think she sent me, ah ha!"_ He held up a fork in triumph. _"You'll have to learn to use chopsticks eventually, but as you just got here it's something we'll work on. Now, eat up. Iruka's actually a really good cook."_

" _Thank you,"_ he took the utensil. _"And tell Iruka thank you too. It does look good."_

" _Eat,"_ the silver haired man chuckled, lowering his mask to do just that. _"As long as you finish it, he'll know."_

Harry nodded and began to eat. The two men shared a smile before starting in on their own food. They ate in silence and before long they were all finished, and the dishes gathered by Kakashi, who immediately started washing them.

"Well, I'm off," Iruka went over and gave Kakashi a kiss before grabbing his bag and flak jacket and heading out the door.

" _Where's he going?"_ Harry asked, slightly confused.

" _As I explained earlier,"_ his uncle shook his head, not turning away from his task, _"not that I expect you to remember everything, this has been a lot to take in, Iruka is a teacher at the Academy. He's off to mold young minds and train them in the way of the shinobi."_

" _Right,"_ the bespectacled teen nodded. _"I'm sorry, I forgot."_

" _It's okay,"_ the silver haired Jonin chuckled. _"Now, as soon as I'm done here, I figured I'd show you around the village, and introduce you to the Hokage."_

" _The Hokage?"_ Harry frowned.

" _She's the leader of our village. She's also a great medic and I'd like her to take a look at you at some point in the near future, probably not today, but soon."_

Harry didn't know what to say to that so he remained silent. Within ten minutes, the dishes were done and Kakashi was dressed in his usual style including his mask, flak jacket, and hitaate covering his right eye. Harry was curious about why he covered his face and what had happened to his eye as he hadn't covered it during breakfast, revealing the long vertical scar running over it, but had kept it closed the entire time. But years at the Dursleys had taught him better than to ask. So he continued his silence as they made their way out of the house.

As they walked through the village, the teen was surprised at how many people greeted his uncle. He was obviously well liked in the village. Though they greeted him amicably enough, no one really came up to them. This changed, however, as a cloud of dust made straight for them as they were almost to their destination.

When the dust was almost upon them, it stopped and settled, revealing a tall man with black hair styled into a bowl cut and clad in a green jumpsuit, orange legwarmers, and a flak jacket.

"My great rival, Kakashi!" he smiled, showing gleaming white teeth, and reminding Harry strongly of Gilderoy Lockhart.

" _Did he win Witch Weekly's most charming smile award, too?"_ the bespectacled teen muttered quietly.

" _I don't think so,"_ his uncle chuckled. _"Harry, this is Might Gai._ Gai, allow me to introduce you to my nephew, Harry Potter."

"Ah, this is your charming nephew," Gai's smile, if possible, got even bigger. "He is so full of youth. It is an honor to meet you, young Harry."

"Unfortunately," Kakashi cut in, "he does not speak our language. And we are on our way to see the Hokage, so we should be going, you know how she hates to be kept waiting."

"Rrright," the green clad man winked and gave them the thumbs up before taking off once again, kicking up another dust trail in his wake.

" _Who exactly was that?"_ Harry blinked after the strange man.

" _That was Might Gai,"_ Kakashi shook his head, _"Konoha's Sexy Green Beast, his own choice in moniker, no one else's, and my self-proclaimed rival. He's a talented shinobi, and a decent enough guy, though a bit eccentric."_

" _He kinda reminds me of an old professor I had,"_ the raven haired teen shook his head. _"But he was a fraud."_

" _Gai may be a lot of things, but a fraud is not one of them,"_ his uncle laughed quietly. _"Anyway, we should see Lady Tsunade now."_

Harry nodded and they continued on their way. A few minutes later, they arrived outside a set of large double doors guarded by two masked figures. The sentinels made the teen nervous, with their blank faced masks, but Kakashi just nodded at them and knocked on the door. A voice called from within and he pushed the portal open.

Inside the room, behind a large desk piled high with stacks of paper, was a comely blonde woman with the biggest boobs Harry had ever seen. He quickly averted his eyes so as not to appear rude by staring.

"Ah, Kakashi," she pushed to her feet and walked around the desk, "so you've returned. And this must be your nephew."

"Yes," the Jonin nodded, "this is my nephew, Harry Potter. _Harry, this is Lady Tsunade, the leader of our village."_

" _Wait,"_ Tsunade cut in in English, _"you wouldn't happen to be The Boy-Who-Lived would you?"_

Green eyes widened at the question and he reached up automatically to flatten his bangs. Her brown eyes followed the movement and a faint smirk graced her features.

" _Judging by your reaction, it would seem you are,"_ she shook her head. _"He would be part of your family, wouldn't he, Kakashi? Well all that aside, welcome, Harry, to Konohagakure."_

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so there it is. I know it's slow, but hopefully things will pick up in the next chapter or so. Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Happy Singles Appreciation Day! Otherwise known as Valentine's Day.

AN: Okay, so I really wanted to post something today, so I finished this chapter last night just for you. Anyway, on with the show.

Chapter 5

Harry lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened to him since he had met his uncle. It had been a little over a week since he had arrived in Konoha, and after his meeting with Lady Tsunade, not much had happened. He had had a checkup at the hospital the following day but other than that he had stayed at the house with Kakashi.

The silver haired man had spent most of the time teaching him Japanese, but it was a frustratingly slow process. The only good thing about this was that Iruka seemed to be going through the same torture, only he seemed to be progressing at a better pace, as he could now at least hold a stilting conversation in English whereas Harry only had a handful of words down.

Aside from that, he had learned some interesting things. He had learned that his grandparents had died before his father had gone away to Hogwarts, but not how as Kakashi refused to talk about it. He also found out that his uncle did have two eyes, he just kept one covered because it had some sort of power that drained him if he used it too much. And that Kakashi spent any moment he could reading the lurid orange book series he'd had at the airport, and had discovered that it was porn. Though, the most important thing he had discovered, at least to him, was why.

 _Flashback_

" _Can—can I ask you something?" Harry asked hesitantly, as they made their way back from the hospital after his exam, as it had taken him that long to work up the nerve to actually voice it._

" _Of course," Kakashi looked down at him. "Ask anything you'd like. I may not answer all of them, but you're always free to ask."_

" _Okay," he frowned slightly, that would take some getting used to. "Why? Why wait till now to take me in? If you were, are, my legal guardian, why wait so long to take me away?"_

" _Well," the silver haired man sighed, "that's a complicated question, and the answer's not an easy one. But I guess it comes down to the fact that I was being selfish. You see, when Jirou died I was only fourteen, a little younger than you are now, and in no real mental state to take on a child. So when your aunt asked to keep you, I jumped on it. It wasn't that I wouldn't have taken you, I just wasn't prepared to. I left the scroll just in case, but I figured since you didn't use it, you were happy there, and who was I to deny you that. That's why I didn't write or visit either. I didn't want to complicate your life by bringing my drama into it. I thought it would be best for you to live a happy, normal life with the Dursleys and without me."_

" _I was never happy there," tears glistened in emerald orbs. "The Dursleys hated me, and I wished so hard that someone would take me away from there. But no one ever came, no one ever cared."_

" _Harry," his uncle put his hands on his shoulder, halting their progress, and sank to his knees in front of him, "I have always cared, and will continue to do so until my dying day. I'm not saying I didn't make mistakes, and I should have visited. And I have regretted not taking you with me every day for the past fourteen years. Now, I know you have no reason to trust me, but if you'll let me, I will do whatever it takes to prove to you that no matter what I love you and I will do my best to never let anything happen to you ever again."_

 _Harry wasn't sure why, but he believed him. And as the tears finally gave way, he practically threw himself on the man in a desperate hug._

 _End Flashback_

Things had only gotten better between them since then. However, all that had come to a screeching halt earlier that day when Kakashi had been summoned by the Hokage. He had returned from his meeting with a mission. He would be leaving first thing in the morning, and Harry had never found himself dreading the dawn more.

But come it did, whether he liked it or not. As the first rays of light filtered through his window, Harry got up and made his way to the kitchen. Surprisingly, or maybe not so, he was the first one there. He went to the fridge and quietly pulled out the things he'd need to make breakfast. He was just finishing up when his uncle and Iruka entered the room.

" _What you make?"_ the brunet asked in broken English.

"Food," Harry answered in Japanese.

This was something Kakashi was fond of making them do. If they could get across what they wanted in the new language they should. After all, it was the words that were important, grammar would come along later.

" _What kind?"_ the Chunin persisted.

"Breakfast food," he shrugged. " _You know_ , kind you eat in mornings."

Iruka stared at him incredulously for a moment before realizing he was joking and giving his shoulder a playful smack. Kakashi, who had stayed silent through the entire exchange, burst out laughing.

"I think he learned just enough Japanese so he could sass you, Ruka," he said between chuckles.

"He did not," the younger man pouted slightly, before turning pleading eyes on the wizard.

Harry just shrugged in response. He may not be able to speak it well yet, but he was getting better at understanding what was being said.

"He had to have gotten that from you and your brother," Iruka scowled as he grabbed a plate that the teen had just dished up.

"Actually," the Jonin shook his head, "it could be from his mother. Now, I'm not saying that Jirou and I aren't smartasses, but Lily was in a class of her own. The amount of sass that woman could dish out was impressive. I really wasn't that surprised Jirou married her. She was the only female in that world who could keep up with him."

"I'm still blaming you," the brunet turned his head away.

"Ruka, is this really the way you want this to go?" a brow rose over the good eye. "Pretending to be mad at me?"

"That's not fair," brown eyes narrowed slightly.

"When have I ever played fair?"

"Kakashi, you'd better apologize right now," Iruka snapped, "or I'll be mad at you for real, and you can get out now."

Harry just watched the byplay in silence, having lost the conversation. And even though the tone of the conversation had changed, he knew there was no real malice between the couple. Even just being here for the short time he had, he knew they were perfect for each other.

"Fine, fine," his uncle held up his hands in surrender, "I'm sorry. Please, forgive me."

"Fine," the other sighed and turned back to his breakfast, "you are forgiven."

"Well, on that note," Kakashi shook his head, "I have something to tell you both. _So Harry, please pay attention._ " Green eyes rose from his plate to look at his uncle. "Now, I know you two are working hard at understanding each other, and you've made real progress, but Lady Tsunade feels that the two of you shouldn't be left on your own, and I have to agree with her. So, I've asked Gaara, and by extension Shikamaru, to stay here until I return."

"Is that really necessary?" Iruka protested. "We understand each other enough, we can manage without them."

"Look, Ruka," the Jonin ran a hand through his hair, "it's either they stay here, as Gaara is one of the only ones who can communicate with Harry properly, or Harry stays with Tsunade until I return."

"No," Harry protested. _"I want to stay here. It's hard enough you're leaving. Please don't send me away."_

"We won't," the Chunin reassured him. "Fine, they can stay here."

"Good," Kakashi shook his head. "They should be here soon. I won't leave until they get here."

" _I wish they wouldn't come then,"_ the teen muttered quietly.

"If you can tell us, what is your mission anyway?" Iruka asked, choosing to ignore the teen's comment for the moment, even if he secretly agreed with him.

"It's nothing like that," the Copy Ninja smiled. "She wants me to go find Jiraya and bring him back. She has something important to discuss with him."

"Jiraya?" brown eyes widened in disbelief. "But that could take months."

"Lady Tsunade has a general idea where he is," Kakashi sighed, he had had the same reaction. "It shouldn't take more than a week, two at the most. In fact, I told her if I couldn't find him in two weeks, I would be coming back and she could send someone else."

"I see," the brunet nodded. "Well, I hope you find him soon."

"As do I," the Jonin agreed.

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, and then Iruka shooed the other two out so he could clean up. Harry and Kakashi sat in the living room, the latter trying to cheer the other up as much as he could before he had to leave. Within the hour, the other two teens showed up and Kakashi took his leave.

888888

"Sirius!" Remus snapped as he Apparated next to his friend.

The pair of them had been traveling like this for days now, ever since they had left Grimmauld Place. They couldn't take a direct route to Japan as they couldn't risk being followed, but this was getting out of hand. Besides, the Animagus had promised answers but had yet to provide them.

"We have to keep going, Remus," Sirius sighed impatiently.

"I understand your haste, I do," the werewolf shook his head. "But we're not moving from this spot until you give me the explanation you promised days ago."

"Fine," grey eyes closed briefly. "It's a good time for something to eat anyway."

He pulled out the food that Kreacher had gotten for them and handed some to his friend. They sat down and ate in silence for a few minutes before Remus' impatience won out.

"So?" he prompted.

"Alright," Sirius sighed, pulling his wand and casting several privacy spells, even though there was no one in sight. "I know why Petunia Dursleys took Harry to Tokyo."

"You do?" the werewolf frowned.

"There's only one reason why she would," the Animagus shook his head. "Kakashi."

"What?"

"Think back, Remus," the brunet ran a hand through his hair, "to James and Lily's wedding. Remember James' best man, because it sure as hell wasn't me."

"Right," brown eyes narrowed in thought. "It was a kid, with white hair."

"Yeah, that was James' kid brother, Kakashi Hatake."

"I didn't know James had a brother," Remus' frown deepened.

"No one did, except me, the Potters, and eventually Lily," Sirius sighed. "I only found out because I spent so much time at the Potters. They weren't his parents, they were distant relatives on his mother's side, I believe, who agreed to take him in when he got his Hogwarts letter. His real name was Jirou Hatake. Anyway, he was originally from Japan. Not Tokyo, per se, but from what he told me that's where one of the entrances is located."

"Entrances?"

"Yeah, it's similar to the Wizarding world, only they call themselves the Elemental Nations, and they're made up of ninja," he continued.

"Like Sunagakure?" the werewolf asked in surprise.

"That's one of the main villages, yes," grey eyes widened slightly in shock. "Only James and Kakashi are from Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Anyway, in the event of James and Lily's death, according to their will, Harry was supposed to go to Kakashi. I don't know why he didn't, but that has to be what Petunia did. But because of that, Harry's safer than he would be anywhere else. The world as a whole doesn't know about the ninja community, and those that do don't really know how to get there. They keep themselves separated on purpose. I only know how to get there because James told me when they found out Voldemort was after them, just in case I had to take Harry there, or wanted to see him afterward."

"Okay then," Remus pushed to his feet. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

"You know," Sirius gave him a sidelong glance, "you took that pretty well."

"I already said the name of one of the villages, so I obviously know someone from there," the sandy haired man chuckled. "No, a few years ago, I met a kid from Sunagakure. We… share some experiences. Maybe when we get there, I can get in contact with him again."

"Well, we'll never know until we get there."

With that he took the other's arm and Apparated them away.

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so I had planned to put this up earlier, but my internet was down. Anyway, let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Really necessary…

AN: Okay, so this chapter just kinda sprang into existence. As did the next one. So I'm posting this one today, and the next one should be up Sunday. I've recently had a surge of inspiration for this fic, so it's going really well at the moment, but unfortunately that could change at any minute. Anyway, on with the show.

AN 2: So for the next few chapters, there will be a mix of English and Japanese as the spoken languages. If the scene takes place in Konoha, English will be _Italicized_ , if the scene takes place in England it won't be. Hope that keeps things clear.

Chapter 6: New… Friends?

After Kakashi had gone, Iruka showed Shikamaru and Gaara to the spare bedroom, where they would be staying during their visit. When that was done, he had to hurry out the door or he would be late for class.

"Alright, you three," he said from the doorway, "you behave yourselves while I'm gone. I'll be home by five, and we'll figure out what we want for dinner then."

" _Okay,"_ Harry answered blandly from his place on the couch. _"I'll see you then. Have a good day."_

Shikamaru and Gaara watched the byplay in silence, but were kind of curious about how well they understood each other. When the door closed, the lazy Chunin flopped down on the couch and stretched his legs out so he was more comfortable. He would have lain down but since Harry was still seated, he felt it might be considered an invasion of privacy, so he refrained. The former Sand shinobi remained standing, and leaned against the corner leading to the hallway.

" _So,"_ the raven said after a moment's silence, _"what do the two of you normally do to pass the time?"_

" _Don't ask him,"_ the redhead said as the other opened his mouth. _"He'll just say sleep."_

" _That sounds boring,"_ Harry shot the ponytailed teen a look. _"Is there something else we can do? I could use a good distraction."_

" _What do you like to do?"_ Gaara shot back, if he was looking for a distraction that would be the way to go.

" _It doesn't matter,"_ the bespectacled teen shook his head. _"Aside from the fact that my stuff isn't here yet, I doubt I could find somewhere private enough."_

" _Okay,"_ the lazy Chunin sighed, _"since that's out, how much of the village have you seen?"_

" _I've been to see the Hokage a couple times,"_ he scratched his neck in thought, _"and I've been to the hospital more times than I can count. Though every time I've seen Lady Tsunade."_

" _So in other words, you haven't really seen anything,"_ Shikamaru added helpfully.

" _I guess not,"_ Harry shrugged. _"I've been mostly settling in and learning Japanese."_

" _Okay then,"_ the longer haired raven sighed and pushed slowly to his feet, _"I guess I can show you around. So troublesome."_

" _If it's too much trouble, you don't have to,"_ the wizard shook his head. _"You don't have to entertain me. I can find something to do on my own."_

" _You'll find he says that about everything,"_ Gaara put in. _"But if he is offering, we should go."_

Green eyes darted between the two shinobi before he shrugged and got to his feet as well. The trio made their way out of the house and toward the village. As they walked, Shikamaru began pointing to areas and giving them names. Harry tried to keep the information separated in his head, but it was a lot to take in.

"Hey," the lazy Chunin paused as they came across an apartment complex just off the main street of the village, "think we should see if Neji wants to join us? I don't think he has a mission, so he should be home."

"Do you have a thing for the Hyuga, Nara?" Gaara asked in a monotone, but one of his nonexistent brows was raised in curiosity.

"What?" Shikamaru turned to him incredulously. "Why would you even ask that?"

"It's what Kankuro used to say to Temari whenever she brought you up," the redhead shrugged.

"Look, Gaara," he rubbed the back of his neck in mild irritation, "you can't ask that question if you don't know what it means. And no, I don't have a 'thing' for Neji. I just figured that since he's our companion and co-conspirator in all this, we should include him."

"Co-conspirator?" Harry looked between the two shinobi incredulously. "What exactly are two of you involved in?"

"This is such a drag," dark eyes rolled in annoyance. _"It's nothing insidious, I promise. Kakashi asked a few of us to keep an eye on you. When we found out that Gaara spoke English, like you, Neji and I cornered him and had him teach us."_

" _You know,"_ Harry scowled darkly, _"I'm fifteen, I can take care of myself."_

" _Doubtful,"_ Shikamaru shook his head, sticking his hand in his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. _"First of all,"_ he took one out and placed it to his lips, _"you're in a new place where you barely understand the language,"_ he lit the cigarette and took a long drag, _"second, your chakra control is worse than most beginning academy students, and third, Kakashi has many enemies that would just love to get their hands on his nephew."_

" _I'm sick and tired of everyone treating me like a fucking kid!"_ Harry snapped angrily, first Dumbledore and now this. _"You don't know me! You don't know what I've been through! What I'm capable of!"_

" _You're right, I don't know,"_ the long haired raven took another drag of the cigarette. _"But I do know what I'm capable of, and I could take you without breaking a sweat. Someone like Gaara, here,"_ he jerked his thumb in the redhead's direction, _"it'd be laughable. So let's just stop this pointless argument, and go find Neji."_

" _You know what, you do that,"_ the bespectacled teen sneered. _"I'm going home."_

With that, he whirled around and started heading back the way they had come. He had barely taken two steps when he found himself unable to move at all. After a moment, without his own thought of volition, his right hand rose and came to a stop with his first two fingers about half an inch from his lips. What was going on?

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru sighed, a stream of smoke escaping his lips. _"Look, Harry, until we get the all clear from Lady Tsunade, you're not going anywhere without an escort. It sucks, but there it is. Now, let's get Neji and head into town."_

He quickly snuffed his cigarette and turned around, the young wizard mirroring his actions. Emerald orbs narrowed in irritation as his hands found their way into his pockets and he began walking slowly forward. He tried to reach for his wand, which was secured in his back pocket but he couldn't make his arms cooperate. He knew if he could just get it, he could show these two that he could take them, but he just couldn't move.

Shikamaru was almost to the door of one of the apartments, Harry only a few paces behind him, when he froze and glanced sharply over his shoulder.

"You've gotta be kidding me," the Chunin scowled as Harry saw something large and white heading straight for him.

The bespectacled teen felt himself regain control of his body just as the white thing collided with him. He fell to the ground hard, the air being forced from his lungs as a heavy weight settled on his back.

"What the hell, Kiba?" the shadow nin glared at the point above Harry. "He was under my shadow possession, if I hadn't released it when I did, I would've been knocked out too."

"Show some gratitude, won't'cha, Shikamaru," a male voice shot back. "I noticed that, so I figured Akamaru and I'd help out. Who is this guy anyway?"

But Harry had had enough. He reached around and grabbed his wand. Aiming at the weight on his back, he fired a stinging hex. The figure jumped off him with a whimpering growl.

"Akamaru!"

" _Rictusempra!"_ he called, throwing his arm out in front of him and aiming at the Chunin.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, ready to attack again. Before he could fire another spell, however, a wall of sand formed around him, blocking his view of the others.

" _Enough, Harry,"_ Gaara said from behind him.

Harry whirled around, his wand raised at the stoic redhead.

" _Lower your wand, Harry,"_ he continued. _"You have proven your point. As did Shikamaru. Now, I will lower the sand, and you will remove the spell from Akamaru and Shikamaru."_

Emerald eyes continued to glare into impassive jade. After a moment, he looked away.

" _Fine,"_ he grumbled.

The former Suna shinobi nodded and the sand retreated into the gourd on his back. Harry sighed and turned to where Shikamaru was doubled up on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. He muttered the counter curse, leaving the other gasping for breath. He then looked over at his other assailants and spotted a teen with shaggy brown hair and two red triangles on his cheeks, looking at a large white dog, who was slowly licking his paw and whimpering quietly.

" _I can't do anything for the dog,"_ he shrugged slightly. _"It's a stinging hex, it'll wear off soon."_

Gaara gave a stiff nod to show he understood. Their attention was diverted back to the others by the clearing of a throat. They all turned to look at the newcomer, who was standing in the doorway of the apartment Shikamaru had been heading to, his arms folded across his chest as he surveyed the scene.

"Care to explain what is going on?" a dark brow rose over pale violet eyes. "And why exactly are you cackling like an old hen on my doorstep, Shikamaru?"

"I'm not sure," the Chunin wheezed slightly, as he pushed shakily to his feet, his eyes boring into the wizard. _"What did you do to me? That wasn't a jutsu you used."_

" _It was a tickling charm,"_ the bespectacled teen crossed his arms over his chest, his wand still in his hand.

" _A tickling charm?"_ Kiba couldn't help but laugh. _"What? Like some kind of magic?"_

"That's exactly what it was," Gaara cut in before Harry could. "Harry is a wizard. But that information does not leave the four of us." He met and held each of their gazes, and they each nodded in turn, before his gaze turned to Harry, _"Harry, guard that secret carefully. It could prove invaluable and indispensable to you."_

"Gaara had a point," the long haired brunet said before anyone else could. "Perhaps we should take this inside, away from prying eyes and listening ears."

The others shrugged and moved to follow the Hyuga into the apartment, Harry only complying after a pointed look from Gaara. Once inside, Shikamaru went straight to the couch and flopped down, still trying to recover from whatever the wizard had thrown at him; Akamaru settled against the wall, still nursing his paw, while Kiba sat down next to him, rubbing his head reassuringly; Neji took the armchair across from the shadow ninja; and Gaara leaned against the wall opposite the dog, leaving Harry unsure where he should go.

" _You can sit on the couch,"_ Neji motioned him over. _"Shikamaru will move."_

Brown eyes turned to glare at the Jonin, but he pulled his knees up, freeing a space for the bespectacled teen. Harry hesitantly made his way over. He wasn't sure about sitting next to the other teen, considering he'd just attacked him, but then again he was attacked first, so he was justified. With that thought in mind, he sat down. As soon as he was settled, the lazy Chunin stretched his legs out and rested them on Harry's lap.

The wizard turned an incredulous gaze on Shikamaru, before he pushed the offending appendages away. A dark brow rose in slight challenge as he moved his legs back. This continued for several minutes before they were brought from their silent battle by the subtle clearing of a throat.

"If you two are through being childish," Neji shook his head, "I believe we were here to discuss a few things."

"Yeah," Kiba piped up, as Shikamaru placed his legs back on Harry's lap, this time without a fight. "Like, who is this guy anyway?"

"Right, you don't know," the Jonin sighed. "This is Harry Potter, Kakashi's nephew."

"Wait," the shaggy haired brunet held up his hand, "this is Kakashi's nephew? I thought he was supposed to be some punk ass little brat?"

"Who you calling brat?!" Harry protested, but Neji held up his hand to forestall any further outburst.

"That took us all by surprise when he arrived," he continued. _"Harry, this is Kiba Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru. They are fellow shinobi of the Leaf."_

"When did you learn English, Neji?" the dog ninja frowned. "From what I heard the Hyuga aren't big on learning other languages."

"Gaara has been teaching us," he motioned to incorporate Shikamaru as well, "since Harry arrived and we realized there was a language barrier. How do you know it?"

"The Inuzukas are taught several languages from a young age," Kiba shrugged. "Mom says it's because we get sent out on special missions. I haven't personally gone on one, yet, but Mom and Sis go all the time. They're really long missions, too. Anywhere from one month to three. So yeah, I know English, Chinese, French, and German."

"That is an interesting development," the Hyuga shook his head slightly, "but it is not unwelcome. In fact, it will make things easier for us. Though, before we continue, perhaps we should get something to eat."

888

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry silently fuming. He had spent the last week since Harry's disappearance trying to get any information out of the Dursleys. But the Muggles were being surprisingly resilient to any methods he employed. Either they truly didn't know what had happened to the boy, which he believed of the two males, or were better liars than even he was.

He didn't truly believe any of that, but what could he do? He had to find Harry. He was the only hope the Wizarding world had against Voldemort.

With that thought in mind, he got up from his desk and made his way over to the fireplace. It was time to put a contingency plan in play. He grabbed a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the flames.

"Severus," he called once he reached his destination.

"Headmaster," the dour man scowled at the old man. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Severus, my boy," the aged Headmaster smiled in a rather forced manner, "I was wondering if you have any Polyjuice potion on hand?"

"Polyjuice potion, sir?" a dark brow rose curiously. "I can't say it's a potion I usually keep on hand, but I do happen to have the meager remains of Crouch's store."

"Excellent," Dumbledore nodded. "I will take that for now. In the meantime, I will need you to start brewing another batch immediately."

"May I ask why?"

"You may," he sighed. "Unfortunately, I have no leads on where young Mr. Potter has disappeared to and the Dursleys are being surprisingly uninformative. However, no matter the current opinions, I cannot let the Wizarding world know that he is gone. This is just in case we cannot find him before the new school year starts. Though, I am going to ask you to transform into Harry for his trial the Ministry is insisting on for his use of underage magic."

"What?!" Snape hissed. "Why me?"

"Because, Severus," blue eyes locked with black, "he is being charged with casting a Patronus charm. On the off chance they ask him to reproduce it, yours is the closest in form to his."

"I see," a scowl marred the younger man's face. "Very well, I will agree, but understand, Albus, that it will only be this once."

"Understood," the twinkle, which had been notably absent, returned to the Headmaster's eyes. "I will take that potion now, and take my leave. I believe you have some brewing to do."

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so there it is... I hope it works, I liked it and that's what really matters, but I hope you enjoy it as well. On another note, I feel that Shika and Neji, being the geniuses they are, would pick up English fairly quickly, especially with a teacher like Gaara, so they are almost fluent at this point in the story, though poor Harry is struggling to learn Japanese. Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: …

AN: So, here's the next chapter. As I explained earlier, I'm kind of on a roll with this fic right now, so I'm gonna continue to plug away at it until it leaves me alone again. A few people have been asking, so I figured I'd clear this up, this story is yaoi, meaning male homosexual pairings. That's usually what I write, and there it is. Harry will be with a male, though who, I'm not going to say just yet. Anyway, Happy Easter, if you celebrate it, and on with the show.

Chapter 7: TMI

The boys settled around Neji's living room, helping themselves to the food the long haired brunet had ordered. Harry was handed a plate by Neji, with a generous portion of each of the three types of noodles that had been ordered. He took it, but frowned slightly as he was handed a pair of chopsticks. Kakashi and Iruka hadn't gotten around to teaching him to use them yet.

" _Something wrong, Harry?"_ the Jonin asked curiously.

" _Uh,"_ the bespectacled teen bit his lip, he really didn't want to admit this shortcoming, especially since Shikamaru already believed he was incapable as it was.

" _You can tell us,"_ the Hyuga urged. _"No one here will judge you."_

" _He will,"_ emerald orbs darted in the lazy Chunin's direction.

" _Shikamaru will mind his tongue,"_ this caused the other to roll his eyes, but he decided not to respond beyond that. _"He is in my house after all. Now, what is the problem?"_

" _Fine. I can't…"_ he sighed heavily. _"I can't use these."_ He held up the chopsticks.

" _You can't use chopsticks?"_ a frown marred Neji's features.

" _It makes sense,"_ Gaara cut in as he filled his own plate. _"In England they use knives, forks, and spoons."_

" _Weird,"_ Kiba shook his head, his own chopsticks moving food rapidly to his mouth as he leaned against Akamaru, every third bite going to the giant dog.

" _In that case, you'll just have to learn,"_ Neji concluded, pushing to his feet. Pale eyes locked with brown in a form of silent communication, before the Chunin sighed and sat up. _"Now,"_ he settled into the newly vacated seat next to Harry, _"take your chopsticks and hold them like this."_

He held up his own hand in demonstration. Harry studied his hand and tried to mirror him. The Hyuga shook his head slightly and leaned over to adjust his grip.

" _There,"_ he sat back. _"Now, you move the top one with your first two fingers to pick up the food."_

" _Okay,"_ the wizard took a deep breath and gave it a try.

He managed to pick up a few of the noodles but about halfway up, they slid off. He scowled and tried again, only for the same thing to happen.

" _Hold your plate closer to your face,"_ Neji gently nudged the arm holding the plate. _"Now, try again."_

Harry gave him a dubious look but complied. He was quite surprised when the food managed to make it to his mouth. Though, he couldn't see how he was supposed to get the long noodles into his mouth neatly. Surreptitiously, his eyes darted to the others to see how they did it. Taking his cue from them, he began to eat, with only minor mishaps.

" _So,"_ Kiba said, once his plate was finished, _"Harry, what exactly is this magic stuff you use?"_

" _Um,"_ Harry wasn't sure how to answer that, he was sure Hermione would know but he sure as hell didn't.

" _It is an energy similar to our chakra,"_ the redhead answered. _"They learn to hone it from a relatively young age. However, unlike chakra, magic is an innate ability, they do not have to build it up to use it. Even toddlers can use magic without much effort."_

" _How do you know that?"_ Harry asked incredulously. _"I've been going to Wizarding school for four years now, and I didn't even know that."_

" _I had a mission in Wizarding Britain a few years back,"_ he shrugged.

" _A mission?"_ the bespectacled teen frowned. _"What kind of mission?"_

" _I was sent to investigate a break in at the bank."_

" _Wait,"_ Harry shook his head. _"You investigated the break in at Gringotts? But you couldn't have been more than eleven."_

" _I turned twelve on the mission,"_ jade eyes stared at him impassively. _"The goblins wanted me to capture the culprit and bring him in for questioning. It was my first failed mission. After six months, I was told the culprit had been killed and I was sent home."_

" _I—I'm sorry,"_ the emerald gaze drifted to his lap.

" _Why are you apologizing?"_ a nonexistent brow rose curiously.

" _Well, the guy who broke into Gringotts happened to be one of my teachers that year. My friends and I figured out what he was after and that it was hidden at the school. So at the end of the year, we went to confront him, and I, um, I accidentally killed him."_

" _How do you accidentally kill someone?"_ Kiba asked.

" _Well, he, uh,"_ the wizard sighed, running his hand through his hair, _"he couldn't touch me. When he came into contact with my bare skin he received severe burns. So when he was about to kill me, I, uh, kinda grabbed his face and didn't let go. When I woke up in the hospital wing, he was dead."_

" _I see,"_ the redhead nodded. _"Though, I do not blame you for my failure. My father sent me on that mission to fail, I know that now. But I do not regret going. It was a unique experience and, though I did not realize it at the time, I made a friend."_

" _You made a friend, Gaara?"_ Kiba grinned. _"That's great! Hey, maybe Harry here knows them."_

" _Don't be ridiculous, Kiba,"_ Shikamaru sighed heavily. _"That's like saying just because Gaara lives in the Leaf village or I've visited the Sand a few times, we know everyone there."_

" _Yeah,"_ Harry couldn't help but agree. _"Unless they went to Hogwarts, I probably don't know them. I never really had the chance to get out much."_

" _Besides, he was rather reclusive,"_ the redhead shook his head. _"His condition prevented him from being accepted in normal society. It was one of the reasons we got along so well."_

" _Condition?"_ the raven cocked his head to the side curiously.

" _He is a werewolf,"_ Gaara shrugged, as if this information were unimportant.

" _Yeah, I've only met one werewolf,"_ Harry shook his head. _"He was great. A nice guy. One of my dad's best friends, actually. Though, I only met him because he was one of my teachers at Hogwarts in third year. We learned a lot from Professor Lupin that year, except he was ousted as a werewolf and resigned."_

" _Remus Lupin?"_ the former Suna shinobi frowned.

" _No way,"_ emerald eyes blinked at him in shocked surprise. _"Your friend is Professor Lupin? That's just too weird."_

" _And I was being ridiculous,"_ the shaggy haired brunet crossed his arms in a pout.

" _Shut up, Kiba,"_ Neji and Shikamaru said together.

" _Do you have a way to get in contact with him?"_ the redhead asked. _"I would like to reestablish contact."_

" _Well, not really,"_ Harry bit his lip. _"I haven't seen or heard from him in over a year. But I'm sure once Hedwig gets here we could send him a letter."_

" _Hedwig?"_ the Jonin questioned.

" _She's my owl,"_ the bespectacled teen gave a fond smile. _"And she's never failed to deliver whatever I've asked her to, even to my godfather, who's been on the run for over a year."_

Before anything else could be said on the matter, a large puff of smoke appeared in front of the wizard. Immediately, a kunai flew from the direction of the wall, while two more winked into existence in the hands of the two shinobi on the couch. Harry felt a slight weight settle on his shoulder.

"Hey, there's no need for that!" a gruff voice said next to the wizard's ear.

"Damn it, Pakkun," Shikamaru sighed, replacing his kunai in its holder. "What are you even doing here? Kakashi didn't send you, did he? I mean, he just left today."

"Not quite," the little pug shrugged. "Me and the others just got back with Harry's things. But before he got a hold of them, his aunt wanted me to give him this."

He hopped down onto Harry's lap and pulled a white envelope off his back with his mouth. He waved it in front of the teen's face until he finally took it. With slightly trembling hands, the bespectacled teen broke the seal and pulled out two sheets of what he recognized as his aunt's finest stationary.

 _Harry,_

 _I'm sorry it took so long to get your things to you, but once I returned from Japan, Dumbledore showed up. But don't worry, he has learned nothing about your current whereabouts or your uncle. Vernon and Dudley know nothing, something I made sure of before we left, and I didn't get where I am today by just looking pretty._

Harry couldn't help the snort of laughter at that. I mean, he didn't think Petunia Dursley was all that attractive, but he had to admire her confidence.

 _I learned at a very young age to never take anything a wizard gave you, thanks to Lily and her… friend. So when Dumbledore showed up, I knew better than to drink the tea he offered. And though I may not have used it much in recent years, I was quite the talented actress in my youth. So after I saw the reaction Vernon and Dudley had to whatever he gave us, I was able to convincingly mimic them._

 _This brings me to your belongings. I packed them up immediately when I got home, but Dumbledore arrived before I could send them, and I did not want to risk him somehow following. After a few days, he finally left. But when I went back up to your room, I noticed that your things had been gone through. I don't know if anything was taken, and I have no way to tell if they had been tampered with magically. So I want you to be exceedingly careful when handling them. I would put nothing past that old man._

 _On another note, I also sent what little I had of your parents' possessions. It's not much, and it's mostly Lily's, but I thought you should have them, even though it breaks my heart to part with the last remnants of my sister, and I'm not just talking about her things._

 _I know I never said it, and it never felt like it, but I love you and want only the best for you. I hope you stay with Kakashi, and forget about us, and everything here. Grow into the strong man I know you'll be and live a full life, away from here._

 _Love,_

 _Aunt Petunia_

Harry sat in stunned silence as he read through the words he'd never imagined would come from his aunt, who always treated him worse than dirt. He quickly read through it a second time before turning to the ninja hound.

" _Pakkun,"_ he cleared his throat to keep his voice steady, _"can you…?"_

" _No, kid,"_ the pug shook his head.

" _I didn't even ask…"_

" _Your aunt said you'd probably want to send a reply,"_ Pakkun sighed. _"She doesn't want it, but she knows. Her last instructions were: I don't want to see any of you again. Tell Harry to go and live his life."_

Harry gave a frustrated sigh, that sounded more like the Aunt Petunia he'd known his entire life.

" _Fine,"_ he finally folded up the now partially crumpled letter and returned it to its envelope. _"Can I go home now? I'd really like to unpack."_

" _We'll all go,"_ Neji placed a gentle hand on the other's shoulder, he understood all too well what having family like that was about. _"If there are indeed traps of some sort on your belongings, then we should be able to help."_

" _Alright, let's go,"_ Shikamaru sighed.

He pushed slowly to his feet and headed for the door, pulling his pack of cigarettes out. He glanced over his shoulder at the other as he placed on to his lips.

" _Well, ya coming?"_

The others got up and followed him out of the apartment. He was standing just outside, lighting the cigarette, when they caught up with him.

" _When did you start smoking, Shikamaru?"_ pale eyes narrowed into a frown.

" _A few months ago,"_ the lazy Chunin shrugged as they began the trek back to Kakashi's house. _"I nicked a pack off Asuma-sensei."_

" _Disgusting,"_ the long haired brunet sneered slightly.

" _Could be worse,"_ he shrugged idly.

" _Yeah,"_ Kiba laughed, while giving the Hyuga a pointed look. _"I mean, he could sleep with ever Jonin or Chunin over the age of eighteen, right Neji?"_

" _You know,"_ Neji said, giving the dog ninja a blank stare, _"sometimes when you open your mouth you prove your lack of intelligence."_

" _Watch it, Hyuga,"_ Kiba growled slightly.

" _I don't know where you heard such rumors,"_ the pale eyed teen took a deep breath, _"but while I have had a few bed partners, I by no means have slept with every Jonin or Chunin. I don't think even the Paramour of Konoha has gotten that far, has he, Shikamaru?"_

" _Shove it up your ass, Hyuga,"_ brown eyes glared darkly at the other.

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa,"_ the shaggy haired brunet waved his hands in front of himself. _"I'm missing something here."_

" _You know what,"_ Shikamaru threw up his hands up, _"yeah, I like sex. As long as it's good, I'll take it where I can get it."_

" _Which in turn has earned him the moniker The Paramour,"_ Neji added. _"Which is actually not a bad title among the upper echelon of shinobi. It is actually just a shinobi that is known for his or her sexual prowess and discretion, meaning any shinobi can approach them for sex. Shikamaru recently earned the title when the last Paramour entered into a committed relationship. He is also the youngest and lowest ranking shinobi to earn the title."_

" _Kankuro had a similar title in Suna,"_ Gaara interjected. _"Though, since he's become Kazekage, he's had to become more discreet."_

" _Look, most shinobi sleep around,"_ the lazy Chunin sighed, _"at least until they meet that one person they end up in a relationship with. It's just the way of life around here."_

" _Okay, okay, I get it,"_ Kiba shook his head. _"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to get a rise out of Neji, since Hinata told us he's had quite a string of guys show up at his room. I mean, hey, I have no room to talk, I slept with both Shino and Hinata. And most Inuzukas have several partners, even after they supposedly 'settle down.' I mean, hell, I'm sure even Gaara has a couple under his belt."_

" _No,"_ Gaara answered simply.

" _Wait, you're a virgin?"_

" _I have been imprisoned for the past three years,"_ jade eyes locked unblinkingly with onyx. _"Before that, the only people in Suna even remotely not scared of me were my siblings. Who am I supposed to have had sex with?"_

" _Okay, enough,"_ Harry cut in, his cheeks a brilliant red. _"I didn't want or need to know that about any of you. Can we just get back to the house now, please?"_

"He is such a virgin," Kiba laughed as the bespectacled teen began walking away from the group.

"Just imagine how he would react if he discovered that Kakashi was the Paramour before the mantle was passed to Shikamaru," Neji's lips twitched up into a smile.

The others shared an amused look before they began following after the wizard.

* * *

Ammie: So this chapter kinda took on a life of it's own and went where it would. And I know some of my characterizations, especially revolving around the sexual exploits of the boys in question, might be a bit skewed, but for this fic, it actually works, and will make sense later on when they go into more detail about it, at least it does in my head anyway. Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

Learning to Live Again

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Really necessary at this point?

AN: Okay, before we get on to the real heart of the matter, I don't normally do this but I feel like I should say a few things. First off, I have a problem with a few of the characters in both series, I will not apologize for my thoughts on the matter, and if anyone has a problem with the way I portray certain things, there's the door. Also, I got a few comments about the end of last chapter, and once again, I'm not apologizing, I added that bit in as a bit of humor and to show that this particular group is not exactly virginal, also, if it really bugged anyone, this is probably not the fic for you. I do have my pairings planned, and the main one is a multi-pairing, and that's all I'm going to say on the matter. On a side note, this is not a Weasley bashing fic, even though certain things in this chapter may seem as such, it is more to point out how manipulative Dumbledore is being in this fic, and the Wizarding world's mindless devotion to him. I have problems with certain Weasleys but as a whole not really. Anyway, end rant and moving on with the chapter.

Chapter 8: Problems

The five teens made their way into Kakashi's house, the remainder of their journey having been completed in silence. They immediately spotted Harry's belongings sitting in the middle of the living room. Two trunks sat innocently in front of the couch with a large wire cage on top of them and a polished broomstick propped against them. Harry immediately took a step forward, but a pale arm stopped him.

" _Your aunt said there was a possibility of traps,"_ Neji stated calmly with his eyes closed. _"We will check them thoroughly before you touch anything."_

" _But you're not even a wizard,"_ the bespectacled teen glared slightly. _"How could you even tell if there was something there?"_

Pale eyes snapped open, the veins on either side of his face standing out prominently as he met the bespectacled teen's gaze. Harry took an involuntary step back, sure he had pissed the other off.

" _That trunk,"_ he said, pointing behind him at the one on the right, while still maintaining eye contact, _"is fine. There are only a few chakra based seals on it, for storage and protection. We'll set that one aside for now, we could try and dismantle them ourselves, but they look like Kakashi's, so it would probably be best to wait for him. Gaara, use your sand and move that broom across the room, no one touch it. Kiba, grab the cage, its fine."_ He finally turned and made his way to the trunk on the left, _"This one, however, has a foreign seal on it. It is not chakra based, but it looks and feels similar. I am going to try and disrupt the flow of energy using my gentle fist. Shikamaru, keep Harry over there. I do not know what will happen if I fail."_

The lazy Chunin took a step forward, so he was partially in front of Harry, ready to react if anything untoward happened. Neji nodded and then raised his right hand, with the first two fingers extended. He thrust his arm forward, aiming at a single point near the latch of the trunk. A loud, reverberating sound, like shattering glass, filled the room, causing all the shinobi to leap to the edge of the room, Shikamaru taking Harry with him.

Once their ears had stopped ringing, they all turned back to the trunk, Neji's Byakugan still activated.

" _It is gone,"_ the long haired brunet sighed, before his eyes narrowed slightly. _"Though, there is one more."_

Within a moment, he was at Harry's side, lifting his right arm curiously.

" _You have one on you, too,"_ he frowned. _"There are minor differences from the one on the trunk. I can remove it, if you like."_

" _I'd rather keep it like this, thanks,"_ Harry shook his head, strongly reminded of his second year and the incident with Dobby's Bludger.

" _Don't be stupid,"_ Kiba scoffed slightly. _"Neji would be an idiot to try anything that would hurt you. Not only would Kakashi kill him, but he'd have to deal with Iruka-sensei. And let me just say, that of the two, Iruka-sensei may be lower ranked, but he's definitely scarier."_

Neji and Shikamaru nodded seriously in agreement from either side of the wizard.

" _I will not use as much chakra as I did before,"_ the Jonin promised. _"There should be no pain, but your arm will go numb for about twenty minutes."_

" _What? Why?"_

" _Because,"_ he explained, tracing a rather large oval on the inside of Harry's forearm, _"the center of the seal, or whatever this is, is right over a chakra point. To deactivate the seal, I will knock out the chakra point as well. Lady Tsunade or Sakura could probably do it without messing with the chakra point, but I feel that time is of the essence, and as Gaara stated earlier, the less people who know about your magic, the better."_

" _Lady Tsunade already knows,"_ Harry took a deep breath, and clenched his fist, _"but fine. Do it."_

He'd had all the bones removed from that arm before, and painfully regrown, what was a little numbness. The Hyuga nodded as he placed two fingers over the center of the oval. He sent out a small burst of chakra. There was another sound of shattering glass, much quieter than the first, and as predicted, the arm went numb. Neji gave another satisfied nod before finally letting go.

" _Now, as for that broom,"_ the long haired brunet sat down on the couch, _"there appears to be some sort of film over it."_

" _Well, it is enchanted to make it fly,"_ the bespectacled teen shook his head as he sat down beside him. _"If you can really see the magic, that's probably what you are seeing."_

" _No, I can see those,"_ the Jonin sighed, _"but there is something else. It looks like it was added later, and while the other… magic is light, almost green in color, this is red and harsh, as if placed in a hurry."_

" _What do you suggest we do?"_ Shikamaru asked, flopping down across the armchair.

" _I don't think there is a way to remove it with gentle fist,"_ Neji shook his head, deactivating his Kekkei Genkai. _"The best I can suggest is that we seal it away until we can find a way to remove whatever it is. Though, I feel that as an added precaution, a clone should be used so none of us risk actually touching it, and possibly setting it off."_

" _So who wants to do it?"_ the Chunin sighed. _"I mean, whoever does it has to be able to make a substantial clone."_

" _I'll do it,"_ Gaara said in a monotone, as sand began to swirl around him.

A moment later, a perfect replica of the redhead appeared next to him. The pale eyed teen looked at him calmly, before pulling a scroll out of his pocket and handing it over. The clone went over and took it before making his way over to the broomstick sitting innocently in the corner. Without a word, it opened the scroll and made a few hand signs before reaching out to take hold of the broom's polished handle. As soon as his hand closed around it, both the clone and the broom disappeared.

" _NO!"_ Harry sprang to his feet, his right arm clutched to his chest by his left, rushing over to the spot they had vanished from. _"Damn it! How could he?! After what happened, how could he do that?!"_

" _What just happened?"_ Kiba asked. _"What was that thing?"_

" _It was a fucking portkey,"_ the wizard growled. _"Dumbledore turned my Firebolt into a portkey!"_

" _What is a portkey?"_ Neji asked calmly, trying to project it onto the distraught teen.

" _It's an object that's created to take a person or group to a predetermined spot,"_ the bespectacled teen sank to the floor. _"The same thing was used at the end of last term to take me and…"_

" _You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to,"_ the former Sand shinobi placed his hand on the other's shoulder. _"It was only a clone, no harm was done."_

888

Kingsley Shacklebolt sat at the far end of the table located in the kitchen at twelve Grimmauld Place, the current meeting place of the Order of the Phoenix. He was listening quietly as Albus Dumbledore calmly explained his plan for the coming year, a stark contrast to his behavior from the previous meeting. Though, the more the aged Headmaster talked, the more concerned he became of the plan being outlined. There were so many things that could go wrong. It all hinged on finding someone who could pull off a passable imitation of Harry Potter, when most of those present hadn't even met the boy, not to mention they were far above his skill level as a fifth year Hogwarts student. It was a risky gamble at best.

Just as Dumbledore finished the outline of the plan, and asked for suggestions on who would be best to use, the door leading to the rest of the house burst open. Two teens entered the room, the first, a rather tall, gangly male with shocking red hair and freckles; the second a shorter bushy haired female. He recognized them as the Weasleys' youngest son, Ron, and Hermione Granger, having met them a couple times after the meetings.

"I'll do it," Ron said, taking another step into the room.

"What?" his mother practically screeched. "No! I forbid it. And how did you even hear what was going on in here?"

"I guess you forgot to put up your spells, Mum," the teen shrugged. "Besides, I'm Harry's best friend. I know him better than anyone. I'm the only one who could pull this off."

"He does have a point, Molly," Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"No," the Weasley matriarch slammed her hands on the table and shot angrily to her feet. "I will not have Ronald sacrifice his education by pretending to be Harry for a year."

"He will not be sacrificing his education, Molly," Minerva McGonagall interjected sternly. "He will still be attending Hogwarts, in all the same classes he has had for the past four years. And I will personally assure you that his grades will reflect on his academic records and not Potter's."

What no one needed to know was she said this more for the missing teen's benefit than the one in front of her. While Potter may not be at the same level as Granger, he was by no means at the almost abysmal level of the Weasley boy.

"And how would Ron's absence be explained?" Molly countered. "Others will notice that he is missing too."

"Ron's absence will not be as impactful as Harry's," Dumbledore shook his head.

"Besides, Mum," the younger redhead waved her concerns aside, "we can say I came down with something contagious that kept me from going back for the year, like Dragon Pox or something."

"But this is his O.W.L. year," his mother sighed resignedly, apparently knowing this was a losing battle. "He still needs to take his own tests."

"We hope to have Harry back before then," the Headmaster shook his head. "However, if it does come to that, Ron will take his own O.W.L.s as himself and I will arrange for Harry to take them at a later date, once he returns."

"Fine," she sank back into her chair in defeat.

"Excellent," the pale blue eyes twinkled merrily. "Miss Granger, I do expect your help with this endeavor."

"Of course, sir," she nodded agreeably.

"Now, on to the next order of business…"

Before anything else could be said, something landed on the middle of the table with a reverberating crash. All eyes turned to the disturbance as wands became visible in everyone's hands. They watched in fascination as a broom, a top of the line Firebolt, rolled out of a pale hand and onto the floor. The figure remaining pushed slowly to its feet, its pale jade eyes surveying the scene from underneath a mane of shaggy red hair.

"Where am I?" the gravelly voice sounded like it wasn't used to speaking often.

"You are at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore answered warily. "I am Albus Dumbledore. Just who exactly are you? And where do you come from?"

"Hn," the figure hummed quietly. "You will die now."

Sand began trickling out of the gourd on his back. As they watched in fascinated horror, the boy in front of them appeared to be dissolving into sand as well. A moment later, there was a soft pop, followed by a shower of sand raining down on all those assembled.

When the dust settled, everyone got to their feet and most began talking at once. Kingsley, however, frowned to himself. He was sure he had seen the boy somewhere before, even the use of sand was somewhat familiar. But where, and when?

"Enough," Dumbledore roared, holding his hands up for silence. "We must remain calm and find out who that boy was, where he came from, and what those strange abilities are that he uses. He is our key to finding Harry, as it is made obvious that Harry is wherever he was. I turned young Harry's Firebolt into a Portkey before I left the Dursleys. I made it so the next magical person who touched it would be brought here, in the hope it would be Harry and he would be returned to us. Now, I must return to Hogwarts at once, to check the tracking spell I placed as well. You are all dismissed."

Kingsley's frown deepened as everyone made to leave. A lot of what Dumbledore was saying and doing was not adding up. He seemed too desperate in his search for Potter, even resorting to an illegal Portkey to get him back. What could one fifteen year old do against Voldemort that twenty plus fully trained wizards could not?

But there was something else about what he said that was nagging at him. It was what he said about finding out about the boy's abilities. But it was as if the thought were made out of the same sand the boy was made out of and was slipping through his… Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. That's where he knew that boy from. He had been with Madam Bones on a classified assignment to greet the shinobi from the Hidden Elemental Nations when he had been assigned to investigate the break-in at Gringotts four years ago.

He couldn't mention this to any of the others, though. Not many people knew of the Elemental Nations, and for good reasons, the leaders of those Nations would kill anyone that wasn't supposed to. But maybe he could talk with Madam Bones and get permission to go himself. Then he could go investigate on his own and possibly convince Potter to come back with him, for nothing but Potter's agreement could get him out of that place without bloodshed.

888

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and turned back to the others. Gaara was right, it wasn't like he was dragged around by the Portkey, but he was really pissed about the fact that his Firebolt had been used.

He heaved a heavy sigh and got to his feet, he may as well start putting his things away. He made his way over to his trunk, but paused before taking the handle.

" _I can take this now, right?"_ green eyes locked with lavender.

" _It should be fine,"_ the Jonin nodded.

Harry nodded and grabbed the handle. He began dragging it toward his bedroom. He had barely taken two steps when he felt the other end being picked up. The emerald gaze darted over his shoulder and met the grinning face of the dog ninja. He let out another sigh but didn't argue, he usually had help carrying his trunk anyway.

As soon as they reached the bedroom, the wizard set down his end of the trunk with Kiba following suit. He sat down in front of it and threw back the lid. He began pulling out the clothes that were piled on top and placing them in a pile beside him. The shaggy haired brunet knelt down next to him and reached into the trunk as well.

" _Hey, Neji,"_ he called, pulling out one of the textbooks, _"you might be interested in this."_

The other three appeared at the door a moment later. Kiba handed the book over to the long haired brunet. His pale eyes drifted over the cover before he flipped it open.

" _It does look intriguing,"_ he pursed his lips slightly. _"Would you mind if I borrow this, Harry?"_

" _Sure, whatever,"_ the raven shrugged, not really caring which book he wanted to borrow, it's not like he really needed them if he wasn't going back to school.

" _Awesome,"_ Kiba grinned, pulling out another book. _"You could sum it up for me, Neji. I mean, I do want to get around to reading The History of Magic, but I kinda want to start with this one,"_ he pulled the belt off the tome in his hands. _"Ow!"_

As soon as it was free, the book turned and snapped closed on his hand. Kiba shook it off and it made a break for the door, scuttling sideways on its edge like a crab. The others leapt out of the way, as Harry turned to see what had happened.

" _What the hell?!"_ he yelled, jumping up and taking off after the book. _"Are you stupid or something? Why would you take the belt off?"_

" _I just wanted to read it,"_ Kiba shot back, following after the bespectacled teen. _"It looked interesting. How was I supposed to know it'd bite me?"_

" _Maybe next time you should ask,"_ Harry snapped. _"Damn it, where'd it go? We have to find it before it starts destroying anything."_

" _Iruka-sensei's gonna kill me,"_ the shaggy haired brunet groaned, as they reached the living room.

Their eyes darted around, trying to find the elusive book. A low growl brought their attention to the couch, where the large white dog was swiping his paw underneath, obviously trying to get at something.

" _Okay, if the dog is any indication, it's under the couch,"_ the wizard took a deep, calming breath. _"Okay, here's the thing, we need to lure it out, catch it, and then stroke the spine."_

" _Stroke the spine?"_ the other scoffed.

" _That's how you calm it down,"_ Harry shook his head. _"I keep the belt on it cause it wears off and becomes the 'Monster Book' again."_

" _Alright, then,"_ the dog ninja nodded. "Akamaru, try and chase it over here."

The giant dog growled again, as Kiba made his way to the end of the couch.

"Come on, you big baby, it doesn't bite that hard," the brunet scoffed.

Akamaru gave a bark in reply.

"What did you just call me?"

" _Can you stop arguing with the dog?"_ the bespectacled teen snapped, taking up a spot on the opposite end. _"We need to get that book."_

" _Yeah, yeah,"_ Kiba growled. "Come on, Akamaru."

The large dog lunged forward, swiping under the couch once more. However, the poor piece of furniture didn't seem to be up to handling the assault, as it tipped backward with a crash. The two boys were momentarily distracted until both gazes locked on the _Monster Book of Monsters_. Both of them dove for the cornered book, ending up colliding in midair and falling into a heap on the floor. Kiba landed on the bottom, trapping the book between his chest and the floor, with Harry on top of him. In the chaos, the wizard's foot lashed out and knocked over the end table, sending the lamp on top of it to the floor, shattering it.

"What's going on here?" a voice sounded from the doorway.

In all the commotion, neither of the teens had heard the door open, announcing the arrival of Iruka. Two heads appeared sheepishly over the overturned couch, Kiba clutched the book tightly against his chest, subtly running his thumb along the spine.

"Oh, hi, Iruka-sensei," the shaggy haired brunet gave a lopsided grin.

"Kiba, what are you… and Neji," the teacher's gaze glanced to the hallway where the other three had just appeared, "doing here?"

"You see, Iruka-sensei," Shikamaru sighed, "we decided to show Harry around the village but only made it as far as Neji's when Kiba caught up with us. Then Pakkun came and told us Harry's things were here, so we came back to let him unpack. That's when the book escaped."

"The book… escaped?" a dark brow rose incredulously, as the Chunin crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah," Harry lowered his head. "It's…" he bit his lip, as though struggling to find the right words, _"kind of alive, because of magic."_

"Harry," Iruka rubbed his eyes tiredly, "have you been practicing today?"

"No," the emerald gaze drifted guiltily to the floor.

"How are you going to get better…" brown eyes closed as he took a calming breath. _"Kakashi said we have to practice to learn. I think with Shikamaru here, you would."_

" _Thought,"_ the bespectacled teen corrected quietly, still looking at the floor, his uncle was usually the one to correct them if they messed up. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's our fault, Iruka-sensei," Neji cut in. "Gaara has been teaching me and Shikamaru English. We thought it would be easier to converse with Harry in his native language."

"I'm sure it is," Iruka sighed heavily. "However, if he's going to be living here, he needs to learn Japanese."

"He will learn it by the end of the week, Iruka," the redhead said evenly. "I will see to it."

"Gaara," the teacher rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "that might not be… feasibly possible."

Pale green eyes just stared back impassively. Iruka closed his own eyes in resignation. There really was no arguing with the stoic redhead.

"Fine," the scarred brunet shook his head. "Well, I was going to suggest we go out and get something to eat, but I think some clean up is in order first. Kiba, Neji, would you like to join us?"

"Sure," the dog nin grinned, he would never pass up free food. "That'd be great, sensei."

"If you're sure you don't mind," the Jonin deferred politely.

"I wouldn't have offered if I did," Iruka chuckled at his serious former student. "But first, I'll go grab the broom if you boys could get the couch back in order."

"I fix it, Iruka," Harry muttered quietly.

" _Its fine, Harry,"_ the older male smiled gently. _"I'm sure it was accident, I am not require you to fix it."_

The bespectacled teen scowled slightly, he didn't mean it like that. While yes, he did feel guilty about breaking the lamp, it would only take a simple spell to have it right again. So when the scarred man disappeared into the other room, he pulled his wand and muttered a quiet _"Repairo"_ as Kiba and Neji lifted the couch back into its appropriate position. Once the lamp had pieced itself back together, he righted the end table and placed it on top. He then bent down and retrieved the still docile _Monster Book of Monsters_ and headed back to his room to put it away.

Iruka arrived back in the living room and blinked in shock at the repaired lamp. His chocolate gaze drifted over the other teens before turning to stare down the hallway.

"I guess he wasn't kidding," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It would be best if none of you underestimate him," Gaara said quietly. "His abilities are strange to you, and that makes him a potential threat. But do not overestimate him either, he is still but a student. Though, with the proper training, he could prove to be a most formidable foe."

"Well, that will have to wait for Kakashi's return," the teacher sighed. "I know he does plan to train him to be a shinobi, but I will not start that without him, and I ask the same of you." He received nods from the younger shinobi. "Now, since this is done, why don't we get something to eat? _Harry, come on, we're leaving._ "

* * *

Ammie: Okay, so there it is. This fic is still, surprisingly, going strong, and I've decided that I'm going back to my old way of doing things and posting chapters as I get them written, instead of holding on to them until a certain point. Hopefully, this will get me back to writing on a more regular basis, but we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, let me know what you think.


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